December 1, 2025 | 03:12 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - During a visit to Israel seven years ago, Yahya Cholil Staquf had a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem. Bibi—as Netanyahu is affectionately known—was accompanied by 10 staff members when he received Yahya, who at that time was the Secretary-General of the Nahdlatul Ulama Central Board (PBNU). The reception took place at the Prime Minister's official residence in the Balfour area, Jerusalem.
In the hour-long meeting, Bibi asked Yahya to serve as a bridge for bilateral relations between Israel and Indonesia. Indonesia does not maintain diplomatic ties with Israel as a form of support for Palestinian independence. "The negotiation atmosphere felt like a scene from the movie The Godfather," said Muhammad Aunullah A'la Habib as he recounted the meeting with Netanyahu in Jakarta on Thursday, November 27, 2025.
Aunullah, a former Deputy Secretary-General of the Central Executive Board of the Ansor Youth Movement, said the visit to the Israeli Prime Minister's office was actually outside Yahya's official agenda in Jerusalem. In the city, Yahya had traveled at the invitation of the American Jewish Committee to speak about tolerance and diversity.
Yahya faced a storm of criticism back home after meeting Benjamin Netanyahu. Among the critics was the Indonesian House of Representatives. Abdul Kharis Almasyhari, then Chair of the House Commission I for the 2016- 2019 term, warned about the consequences of Yahya's visit. "It could undermine the diplomatic path for Palestine," the Justice and Prosperity Party (PKS) politician said via text message on Friday, November 28, 2025.
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