Israel has barred US congresswomen Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Michigan) and Rep. Ilan Omar (D-Minnesota) from entering the country, in accordance with a 2017 law requiring the Interior Ministry to blacklist foreign nationals who support the boycott, divestment, sanctions (BDS) movement.
Critics contend that BDS is inherently anti-Semitic, as the movement’s indirect call for a single state rather than two states means the dissolution of Israel and, by extension, an end to the Jewish people’s right to self-determination.
According to the Israel Hayom daily, Tlaib and Omar were expected to use the trip as a platform for launching a concerted anti-Israel information campaign. They were slated to travel to Ramallah, Hebron, Bethlehem and Jerusalem.
The decision may have been influenced by US President Donald, who reportedly criticized the Israeli government’s initial plan to allow the Democratic lawmakers to visit “out of respect for Congress” and with a view to reinforcing bipartisan US support for Israel.
In response to the apparent development, Tlaib tweeted that, “didn’t even have to land to expose the true face of Israel’s occupation.”
The Media Line discussed the controversial trip with Mustafa Barghouti, General Secretary of the Palestinian National Initiative, and Danny Ayalon, a former Israeli deputy foreign minister.
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