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Indonesian Lawmaker under Fire for

(Jakarta Globe) Markus Junianto Sihaloho - An Indonesian lawmaker's "secret" trip to witness peace talks between Palestine and Israel - a country with no diplomatic ties to Indonesia - has inspired anger in the House of Representatives. Tantowi Yahya visited Israel earlier this month with a group of journalists on an invitation from an Australia-based pro-Israel organization. During his visit, Tantowi met with members of Israel's parliament, as well as academics and government officials. Lawmaker Muhammad Najib attacked Tantowi's visit, saying it did not represent the interests of the House Commission I, which oversees defense and international relations. "There have never been any discussions in Commission I to send a member to Israel," Najib said. "Indonesia does not admit Israel's existence diplomatically." The two nations set up a chamber of commerce to facilitate trade in 2009, settling on the unassuming name the "Israel-Asia Chamber of Commerce." Indonesia booked $750 million in trade in 2008, and $450 million in 2009, despite failing to officially recognize the country.
2013-06-14 00:00:00
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