At the urging of President Trump, Israel has announced that Reps. Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar have been barred from visiting the country, as well as the West Bank.
The decision was made Thursday by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu only hours after a tweet by Trump accused the two congresswomen of "hating all Jewish people," calling the pair "a disgrace."
It would show great weakness if Israel allowed Rep. Omar and Rep.Tlaib to visit. They hate Israel & all Jewish people, & there is nothing that can be said or done to change their minds. Minnesota and Michigan will have a hard time putting them back in office. They are a disgrace!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 15, 2019
Groups from both the United States and Israel have criticized the decision, calling for the pair to be welcomed into Israel.
"As strong supporters of Israel and of the U.S.-Israel relationship, we urge the government of Israel to reject President Trump's unprecedented and ill-advised recommendation to deny Congresswomen Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib entry into Israel," the Jewish Democratic Council of America Executive Director Halie Soifer said in a statement to The Hill.
The decision was announced by Netanyahu, as he cited the congresswomen's plan to visit with an organization headed by a longtime Palestinian lawmaker, Hanan Ashrawi, that was expected to highlight Palestinian grievances over the Israeli occupation. The visit was also planned to be used to further place a spotlight on the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement that they both have been vocal supporters of.
Netanyahu announced the decision to deny entry to the two American lawmakers on the grounds of their support for the movement, in accordance with the country’s anti-boycott law.
"Banning members of Congress from visiting Israel, where they can see facts on the ground with their own eyes, is counterproductive and plays into President Trump's goal of politicizing support for Israel," Soifer said in the statement.
Soifer is not the only one with that point of view, as even Republican members of Congress have come out opposing the president's tweet, urging that the pair be welcomed into the country.
“I feel very secure in this, that anyone who comes with open ears, open eyes and an open mind will walk away with an understanding, just as all these members here do, that this bond is unbreakable,” House minority leader, Rep. Kevin McCarthy, told the New York Times while in Jerusalem. “I think all should come.”
Despite the timing, President Trump's tweet was not a given reason for the Democratic members' denial of entry to the country. According to The Hill, the congresswomen's visit was scheduled to take place Aug. 18-22.
