Human Rights Minister Natalius Pigai stated that the government does not have diplomatic relations with Israel. This situation, according to Pigai, prevents the Ministry of Human Rights from lobbying Israel.
Pigai made this statement in response to nine Indonesian citizens participating in a humanitarian mission to Gaza, Palestine, who were detained by Israel.
According to Pigai, he handed over the matter of repatriating the Indonesian citizens to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Kemenlu). "Oh, we have conveyed it, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs we have conveyed our condemnation.