Israel denies Democrats entry after Trump tweet
Israel announced on Thursday that it was blocking a proposed visit by two US congresswomen who have been outspoken critics of its treatment of Palestinians.
Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib planned to go to the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem as part of a five-day visit that would have started on Sunday.
The trip caused a stir because of the congresswomen’s support for the boycott, movement against Israel. It is unusual for members of the US Congress to express such support.
Israel passed a law in 2017 that allows the authorities to deny entry to those who support boycotts of the country. “The decision is not to allow them to enter,” Israel’s Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely said.
US President Donald Trump tweeted earlier on Thursday that Israel would be showing “great weakness” were it to allow the congresswomen to visit, saying “they hate Israel and all Jewish people”.
Ms Omar and Ms Tlaib, both Muslim women of colour, have become targets of Mr Trump’s frequent attacks on progressive Democrats and his remarks on immigration, which have been called racist.
Israeli Interior Ministry spokesman Aryeh Deri said the decision to bar the pair was made by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Foreign Minister Israel Katz and Minister of Strategic Affairs Gilad Erdan.
“It is inconceivable to allow in anyone who wishes to harm the state of Israel, even during a visit,” Mr Deri said.
No official meetings were confirmed, but the US legislators had hoped to meet young Palestinians, Israeli and Palestinian civil society groups and humanitarian workers in Bethlehem, Ramallah, Hebron and Jerusalem.
Ms Tlaib, a Palestinian-American, also planned to extend her trip so she could spend time with her grandmother, who lives in the village of Beit Ur Al Fauqa.
Salem Barahmeh, executive director of the Palestine Institute for Public Diplomacy, said the Israeli decision was an extension of efforts in the US “to silence and curb freedom of expression around talking about Palestine”.
Miftah, a Palestinian non-profit founded by lawmaker Hanan Ashrawi, said it was “an assault on the Palestinian people’s right to reach out to decision-makers from across the world”.