Israel will allow BDS-backing congresswomen Omar, Tlaib to enter country
Israel will allow two anti-Semitic, BDS-supporting American congresswomen into Israel when they come on a planned visit next month.
Israel’s Ambassador to the United States Ron Dermer said that out of respect for America, Israel would not prevent Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Democrat from Minnesota, and Palestinian-American Rep. Rashida Tlaib, a Democrat from Michigan, from visiting in August.
Omar and Tlaib are the first female Muslim congresswomen and have both made numerous anti-Semitic and anti-Israel statements.
“Out of respect for the US Congress and the great alliance between Israel and America, we would not deny entry to any member of Congress into Israel,” Dermer said. Hopefully they will have a revelation while in Israel and see that it is not the nation they think it is. Maybe they will come away the same feeling as this Arab journalist who recently toured Israel:“This visit to Israel is like touring a dreamland. If only we would be able to bring hundreds of people from our countries, so that when they go back they can tell what they saw and felt.”
Israel has a controversial law allowing the nation to prevent entry into the country to foreigners who “knowingly issues a public call for boycotting Israel.” The government has used it to deny visas to a few students, activists and artists upon their arrival to Israel.
U.S. President Donald Trump said recently that these two congressional freshman, along with representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, hate America and Israel and should apologize to both countries.
Just last week, Omar introduced a resolution, co-sponsored by Tlaib, aimed at weakening laws that clamp down on Israel boycotts. Though the resolution does not explicitly mention Israel, it affirms the right of Americans to participate in boycotts as an expression of free speech. The premise of BDS is to urge businesses, artists and universities to sever ties with Israel. They call this a nonviolent means to oppose “unjust policies” toward Palestinians. But the real motivation behind the movement is to delegitimize and destroy the Jewish state.
Earlier this year, Omar said that American support for Israel was driven by money from the pro-Israel lobbying group AIPAC. Regarding AIPAC’s influence she said, “It’s all about the Benjamins baby.” By this standard Saudi Arabia and Qatar should have tons of influence over the easily bought congress, as they have tons of “Benjamins.” Mar was rebuked by her own Democratic caucus and AIPAC, a bipartisan group, was outraged at the accusation.
Tlaib sparked her own firestorm after she claimed her Palestinian ancestors “had to suffer” so the Jews could have a safe haven in Israel after the Holocaust. This after saying that thinking about the Holocaust calms her. These are just a few of the comments they have made which show their barely veiled animosity toward Israel.
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