*It should come as no surprise that Israel is banning Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) from entering the country because of their pro-Palestinian stance.
Plus, there’s also the matter of US President Donald Trump speaking out against their visit as well. The controversial congresswomen had wanted to spend time in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.
“The decision has been made [and] the decision is not to allow them to enter,” Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely told Israel’s Reshet Radio, Reuters reported.
If you’re looking for an official reason for the banishment, it would be the freshman lawmakers’ support for the pro-Palestinian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement.
Here’s what the HuffPost is reporting:
BDS seeks to put economic pressure on Israel to recognize the movement’s demands, which include equal rights for Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel and the country’s withdrawal from the occupied territories.
Under Israeli law, supporters of the movement can be denied entry to the country. But Israel’s ambassador to the United States, Ron Dermer, said last month that Omar and Tlaib would be allowed to visit.
“Out of respect for the U.S. Congress and the great alliance between Israel and America, we would not deny entry to any member of Congress into Israel,” he said.
President Donald Trump tweeted Thursday that it would show “great weakness if Israel allowed Rep. Omar and Rep. Tlaib to visit.”
“Minnesota and Michigan will have a hard time putting them back in office,” he wrote. “They are a disgrace!”
Neither Omar nor Tlaib immediately responded a request for comment.
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Here’s what was reported earlier …
White House Denies Report That Trump Wants Omar and Tlaib Barred from Entering Israel
*The White House is denying reports that President Trump wants Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to ban Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) from entering Israel due to their alleged anti-Semitic views.
Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham responded to an Axios report which cited three people familiar with the situation, each claim Trump believes Omar and Tlaib should be held accountable for their support of a boycott of Israel. Grisham slammed the report, noting that “The Israeli government can do what they want. It’s fake news.”
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Violent white supremacy is the most dangerous form of domestic terrorism threatening our nation today. But instead of making this threat a top priority for law enforcement, the DOJ has decided to change their definition of domestic terrorism in order to avoid doing just that. pic.twitter.com/77IafkNEdn
— Senator Dick Durbin (@SenatorDurbin) August 9, 2019
In 2017, Israel passed a law that prevents foreigners who support an Israeli boycott from entering the country, per The Hill. Ron Dermer, Israel’s ambassador to the U.S., said the country wouldn’t bar the congresswomen.
“Out of respect for the U.S. Congress and the great alliance between Israel and America, we would not deny entry to any member of Congress into Israel,” he said, according to Israeli newspaper Haaretz.
The lawmakers are slated to arrive in Israeli on Aug. 18.
Last month, Omar and Tlaib voted against a resolution opposing the movement to boycott Israel.
“Our right to free speech is being threatened with this resolution. It sets a dangerous precedent because it attempts to delegitimize a certain people’s political speech and to send a message that our government can and will take action against speech it doesn’t like,” Tlaib said in her floor speech.
