Israel bars U.S. reps from visit

August 16, 2019

WNKY Staff,

(NBC News) In a move many are calling “unprecedented”, the state of Israel says it is blocking two members of Congress from entering the country.

Democratic Representatives Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan had planned to visit Israel Sunday.

Both are Muslim, and frequent critics of President Trump and the Israeli government.

On Thursday President Trump tweeted that it would show “great weakness” if Israel allowed the visit, claiming without evidence that Omar and Tlaib “hate Israel and all Jewish people.”

Last month, Israeli leadership said the representatives would be allowed to enter, but shortly after the president’s tweet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said their plans to meet with humanitarian groups in the West Bank “showed that the congresswomen’s sole intention was to harm Israel.”

President Trump later denied pushing Israel to prevent Omar and Tlaib from traveling there.

“I really believe that it would be a terrible thing for Israel – I think it would show a terrible sign, they want to do boycotts,” Mr. Trump said.

Democrats condemned the ban. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called it “deeply disappointing” and a “sign of weakness.”

In a tweet, Omar called the move “an affront,” slamming Netanyahu, who she says “has consistently resisted peace efforts…and aligned himself with Islamophobes like Donald Trump.”