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Indonesia denies ‘secret talks’ with Israel after entry ban lifted
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Old City of Jerusalem (Shutterstock/File)
T
he government has denied Israeli claims that it engaged in secret diplomatic talks with Israel that led to the latter’s decision to lift its entry ban on Indonesian travelers.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry announced on Wednesday that the ban had been lifted after Indonesia agreed to lift its moratorium on granting visas to Israelis, the Times of Israel reported.
The news outlet quoted an Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman saying through his Twitter account that after “silent” contact between the two countries, “visa restrictions on Indonesian tourism to Israel were lifted, in parallel to the lifting of restrictions by Indonesia on Israeli tourists. Good news.”
“There were no diplomatic talks [between Indonesia and Israel] over visa issues,” Indonesian Foreign Ministry spokesman Arrmanatha Nasir said on Thursday.
“[The foreign minister] has asserted that […] there were no secret talks about visas with Foreign Ministry officials in Jakarta."
Israel announced last month that it would ban Indonesian tourists from entering Israel in retaliation to Indonesia’s decision to stop granting visas to Israeli tourists. Indonesia’s move, Israel claims, was in response to the ongoing violence in Gaza.
The ban was supposed to take effect on June 9, but it was later extended to June 26 following protests from the Israeli tourist industry.
Indonesia confirmed it had denied issuing visas to dozens of Israelis but declined to disclose the reasons behind the move.
Israel's decision to lift the ban came only weeks after a top Indonesian Muslim cleric, who is also an adviser to President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, made a controversial visit to Jerusalem on the invitation of the American Jewish Committee.
The cleric, Yahya Staquf, claimed his visit was personal and meant to show Indonesia’s support for Palestinian independence. (ahw)
