Councilors to Jerusalem

SURABAYA: The East Java provincial government has endorsed twelve Christian councilors to go on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, an unusual decision that may be considered controversial.

The legislators, eight Protestants and four Roman Catholics, are scheduled to leave for Israel on April 18 to arrive back on April 25.

They come from different factions of Golkar, the Armed Forces, and the Indonesian Democratic Party.

"People should not relate the councilors' visit to Jerusalem with the ongoing Palestinian-Israeli conflict. It will be a religious visit," said council chief Trimardjono.

"They'll be there for worship in the same way that Moslems are when they visit Mecca for a haj pilgrimage," he told The Jakarta Post, adding that the legislators will also visit Egypt and Jordan.

Governor Basofi Sudirman has expressed his support for the Jerusalem trip. He declined to reveal how much money the government has provided to the councilors for the visit to the Holy Land.

Indonesia, which supports the Palestinian cause, has no diplomatic ties with Israel. (nur/aan)