Israeli Barred From Tolerance Conference For Nationality
Ryan R. Jones - All Headline News Middle East Correspondent Jerusalem, Israel (AHN) - The Indonesian government three weeks ago informed Israeli journalist and political figure Yossi Sarid that he needn't bother attending a conference on religious and cultural tolerance it is co-hosting with the Norwegian foreign ministry due to his nationality. Sarid had originally been invited by the Norwegians to attend and address the Global Inter-Media Dialog being held in Bali, Indonesia, and billed as an effort aimed at "bridging gaps between different religions, cultures and peoples." According to Ha'aretz, Oslo attempted to bypass the Indonesian boycott by offering Sarid Norwegian citizenship last Friday. Sarid rejected the offer a day later in a letter addressed to the Indonesian president and the prime minister of Norway. Wrote Sarid, "No self-respecting person in the world, no person who respects his nationality, would accept such a skewed proposal." The former leader of Israel's ultra-left Meretz Knesset faction urged the other 60 invited journalists to boycott the event, which had turned out to be anything but a display of tolerance.
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