T

he Indonesian government has allowed four Israelis to attend the UN meeting on Palestine from June 9-10, despite having no diplomatic relations with Israel and being a longtime harsh critic of its policies toward Palestine.

"I think it's a very positive step and a very positive signal that Indonesia has a very deep reservation of Israeli policies but *does* not oppose Israeli as such. That's the kind of message that needs to be heard," Israeli lawyer Daniel Seidemann told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

A member of the Israeli Bar Association, Seidemann is the founder and legal counsel of Ir Amim, a nonprofit association dedicated to an equitable, stable and sustainable Jerusalem. He moved from the United States to Israel in 1973.

The other Israeli experts sharing their views about the Israeli-Palestine issue are Amira Hass, a journalist from Ha'aretz, Latif Dori from the Committee for Israeli-Palestinian Dialogue, and Gershon Baskin from the Israeli-Palestinian Center for Research and Information.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Teuku Faizasyah said the Indonesian government had given visas to the participants because the meeting was held by the UN.

"As a host, we are obliged to facilitate those invited," he said.

He added the Israelis attending the UN meeting were also known to have supported the call for a Palestinian state and a two-state solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

"They come from peace groups," he said, adding the government had the right to bar Israelis opposing Palestinian independence from entering Indonesia.