Journalist i Ha’aretz, og tidligere medlem i Knesset, Yossi Sarid ble invitert av norske myndigheter til å delta i en internasjonal konferanse om ytringsfrihet og toleranse i Indonesia. Hans invitasjon ble siden opphevet fordi han var israeler, skriver Ha’aretz.
Det var tre måneder siden at invitasjonen kom fra det norske utenriksdepartementet til å delta i konferansen Global Inter-Media Dialog på Bali. Arrangementet er delvis finansiert av norske og indonesiske myndigheter. Sarid var en av seksti journalister som var invitert til å delta i konferansen, med det uttalte mål å «lukke gapene mellom forskjellige religioner, kulturer og mennesker».
Men for tre uker siden informerte den norske ambassaden i Israel at Indonesia nektet å innvilge visum. Det norske utenriksdepartementet skal imidlertid ha forsikret at man ville arbeide for en løsning i saken. Norge så på dette som «en prinsippsak», var svaret Sarid fikk.
Tilbød falskt pass
Sist fredag kom Norge med sitt forslag til løsning. I stedet for å ha ordnet opp i saken med indonesiske myndigheter, ble han spurt om han ville reise til Indonesia på norsk pass. Lørdag avviste Sarid forslaget, i et brev han sendte til den indonesiske presidenten og statsminister Jens Stoltenberg.
– Jeg ramlet nesten ut av stolen i forbauselse. Desto mer jeg tenkte på tilbudet, jo mer irritert ble jeg. Jeg har ikke noe annet land og jeg har ingen annen nasjonalitet. Ingen person i verden med respekt for seg selv, ingen som respekterer sin egen nasjonalitet, ville akseptere et så forvridd tilbud, skriver han i brevet.
Nå ber han andre deltakere i konferansen om å avvise invitasjonen i protest mot behandlingen fra norske og indonesiske myndigheter.
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Den store forfalskningen
I det muslimske Indonesia er tusener av kristne drept og hundretusener jaget på flukt. Det har liten interesse. Det Israel gjør av virkelige og påståtte «ugjerninger», dekkes mange ganger så sterkt (antakelig flere hundre ganger).
UD ville gi israeler norsk pass (VG Nett)
Her er Sardids leserbrev:
August 26, 2006
To: The President of Indonesia
Dr. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
Prime Minister of Norway
Jens Stoltenberg
Your Excellencies,
About two months ago I was pleased to receive your joint invitation to take part in the forthcoming Global Inter-Media dialogue in Bali, Indonesia, on freedom of expression and tolerance. I accepted the invitation gladly and immediately.
About three weeks ago the Norwegian Embassy in Israel advised me that to their regret I would not be able to attend the meeting because Indonesia refuses to grant me a visa «in the existing circumstances.» (I assume this refers to the recent conflict that broke out in the meantime between Israel and the Hezbollah organization in Lebanon).
I was extremely disappointed by this announcement and even published a few lines about it in Haaretz, the daily newspaper for which I write a column and regular contributions for the editorial opinion pages. In my column I expressed my surprise that an international dialogue on freedom of expression (which was initiated following the publication of cartoons concerning the Prophet Mohammed in a Danish newspaper), should be censored before it even opens. I suggested that the other participants should reconsider their participation «in the existing circumstances.»
After the article was published, the Norwegian Embassy contacted me again and its representative in Tel Aviv assured me that the government of Norway was still trying to obtain a visa for me. «For us, it’s a matter of principle,» the representative said. I agreed, of course.
On Friday I received two telephone calls, one from the Embassy and another from the Foreign Ministry in Oslo. Both calls were to offer me the following arrangement – I would travel to Indonesia with a Norwegian passport, as a Norwegian citizen.
I can honestly say that I almost fell off my seat with astonishment. I was so amazed that I promised the Norwegian officials to give them an answer within two days, by Sunday. Already, on Friday, I explained to the Foreign Ministry official who is handling the Dialogue for Norway, that the proposal seemed odd, to say the least, and that I found it unacceptable. I gave it some further thought, and the more I thought about it, the more outraged I became.
Now I shall explain. It would have been better had such a proposal not been made at all. I am an Israeli citizen, a former minister of state and member of the Knesset (parliament), and at present a columnist who publishes his opinions on current affairs. My identification is reserved for my country, for better or worse, although I am often in disagreement with its governments’ policies.
I have no other country, no other identity, and as far as I’m concerned, to assume a false national identity is out of the question. No self-respecting person in the world, no person who respects his nationality, would accept such a skewed proposal. To be honest, I’m more surprised by the government of Norway than by the government of Indonesia, from which I had lower expectations to begin with. What is the point of cooperation in good will between two states, if one accepts the distorted norms of the other and surrenders to them?
On the basis of these considerations, which are trivially self-evident to any civilized person, I renew my call to all those who were invited to participate in the Dialogue – do not go to a place that refuses to accept me as well.
Needless to say, this is not a personal matter but an issue of public interest par excellence, and I will therefore also be publishing this letter in my newspaper.
With respect,
Yossi Sarid
CC: Foreign Ministry, Oslo
Embassy of Norway, Israel