PIKIRAN RAKYAT - Five people of the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) visited Israel and met with Israeli President Isaac Herzog some time ago. Related to this, the Chairman of the Executive Board of Nahdlatul Ulama (PBNU), Savic Ali, spoke up.

He emphasized that the visit was not carried out on behalf of the organization. He also regretted the actions of the five NU residents.

"It is possible that their visit was personal. We don't know what the purpose is and who is sponsoring it. This is a regrettable action," he said, quoted from the NU website on Monday, July 15, 2024.

Even though the visit was made on behalf of a person, Savic assessed that the visit would still worsen NU's image. He said that their visit was difficult to accept. Remembering, NU condemns Israel's heinous actions and supports Palestinian independence.

"But what is clear is that their departure is difficult to accept because it hurts the feelings of Nahdliyin people. It is not appropriate for NU people to visit Israel. This is an act of not understanding geopolitics and the feelings of NU people," he said.

"Israel has not recognized Palestine until now and continues to carry out military aggression that has claimed thousands of lives. Israel is still dropping bombs and bullets on Palestinians. There are a lot of victims, civilians," he said.

Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) logo. ANTARA/Hafidz Mubarak A.

Until now, PBNU is still communicating with Palestine to find out the situation in the country. PBNU Chairman, KH Yahya Cholil Staquf, has just chatted with Palestinian Ambassador Zuhair al-Shun at the PBNU Jakarta Building on Thursday, July 11, 2024.

"Yesterday there was a meeting between Chairman Gus Yahya and the Palestinian Ambassador to discuss the developments that occurred in Palestine, what can be done by NU in the context of supporting Palestinian independence and stopping the violence that occurred against the Palestinian people," he said.

Regarding the sanctions for the five NU residents, Savic said that his party would first clarify the purpose of their visit.

Description: The controversy involved five Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) members who visited Israel without the organization's approval. The visit, which NU leadership regrets, is seen as detrimental to NU's image due to their strong support for Palestinian independence and condemnation of Israeli actions. The NU continues to communicate with Palestinian officials to support their cause.*** (Politeknik Negeri Bandung/Sintia Yuliana)