Fadli Zon: No Official Visit To The Israeli Parliament

JAKARTA - The delegation from the House of Representatives of the Republic of Indonesia (RI) rejected the claim from the Israeli Parliament that they had made an official visit to Indonesia during the 144th Session of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) at BICC, Nusa Dua, Bali.

"There is no official visit (official visit, ed.), maybe it's part of an effort (the Israeli Parliament) to convey to their domestic interests. Indonesia remains committed to supporting Palestinian independence and rejecting normalization of relations with aggressors (attackers), in this case, Israel, "said the chairman of the DPR's Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation Agency (BKSAP), Fadli Zon at BICC Nusa Dua, Bali, Wednesday, March 23, quoted from Antara.

Indonesia as the host of the IPU's 144th Assembly Session is obliged to invite a total of 178 members. And Israel became one of the members of the IPU.

Indonesia also issued visas to delegates to the Israeli Parliament so that they could attend the session.

"The IPU rule is that no one is not invited, so all IPU members must be invited," said Fadli.

He continued to straighten out that the correct statement was Israel's official visit to the IPU activity in Nusa Dua, Bali. Although the location of the event is in Indonesia, the visit is not bilaterally related to Indonesia.

On a different occasion, Deputy Chairman of BKSAP Mardani Ali Sera strengthened Fadli's statement regarding Israel's unilateral claims.

"It is wrong for Israel to make an official visit (statement), because there has been no change in attitude from the Indonesian government," said Mardani Ali Sera on the sidelines of his activities attending IPU forums in Bali, Wednesday.

He emphasized that Indonesia did not recognize Israel as a state before the parties agreed on a two-state solution.

“They came on behalf of the IPU, because this is an IPU event. We as hosts (hosts) have an obligation (to accept). So, we reject the claim of an official visit to Israel. That's a one-sided claim," explained Mardani.

He admitted that the delegation of the Israeli Parliament in several IPU meetings often approached him and asked to meet.

"Yesterday I was visited. (I said) no (no). (I explained) we only talk through the IPU or the UN (United Nations),” said Mardani, recounting the contents of his conversation with the Israeli delegation.

The Israeli Parliament (Knesset) delegation, represented by Avi Dichter and Nira Shpak attended the IPU's 144th Assembly Session in Nusa Dua, Bali, which took place from 20–24 March 2022.

In a number of local Israeli media, there are many headlines that mention Israel has made an official visit to Indonesia. In the news, two members of the Israeli parliament took pictures while unfurling their country's flag at the location of the IPU hearing.