Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) has decided to cancel her trip to Israel – hours after being granted permission by Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to enter the country to visit her elderly grandmother.
“When I won, it gave the Palestinian people hope that someone will finally speak the truth about the inhumane conditions,” she tweeted Friday morning. “I can’t allow the State of Israel to take away that light by humiliating me & use my love for my sity to bow down to their oppressive & racist policies.”
“Silencing me & treating me like a criminal is not what she wants for me. It would kill a piece of me. I have decided that visiting my grandmother under these oppressive conditions stands against everything I believe in–fighting against racism, oppression & injustice.”
On Thursday, Israel had announced it is barring the two from entry – an unprecedented move targeting members of the U.S. Congress. Israel’s decision came after President Donald Trump said in a tweet it would show “weakness” to allow in the two Muslim members of Congress who have been sharply critical of him and of Israel’s policies.
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Silencing me & treating me like a criminal is not what she wants for me. It would kill a piece of me. I have decided that visiting my grandmother under these oppressive conditions stands against everything I believe in–fighting against racism, oppression & injustice. https://t.co/z5t5j3qk4H
— Rashida Tlaib (@RashidaTlaib) August 16, 2019
The decision by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had sparked widespread criticism, including from Israeli and Jewish organization which said it was an affront to U.S. institutions to bar the entry of members of Congress. Critics also argued that it weakened Israel’s traditionally strong ties with the U.S. through heavy-handed partisanship.
On Friday, Israeli Interior Minister Aryeh Deri announced the latest twist – that Tlaib had requested and been granted permission to enter the West Bank to see relatives, including her 90-year-old grandmother.
Deri’s office published what it said was Tlaib’s written request, on congressional stationary.
In her letter, Tlaib said this would likely be the last chance to see her grandmother and that she would respect any restrictions and “not promote boycotts” during her visit.
Deri’s office said he “decided to allow her entry to Israel and hopes she will stand by her commitment and that the visit will be for humanitarian needs only.”
Then, just hours later, she announced she would not go to Israel.
Tlaib and Omar are known as supporters of “boycott, divestment and sanctions,” or BDS, a Palestinian-led global movement. Israel alleges that BDS targets Israel’s very existence.
Israel’s decision Thursday had been an extraordinary step bringing the longtime U.S. ally into Trump’s domestic fight against political rivals at home.
Israel announced the ban Thursday after Trump tweeted that “it would show great weakness” if the two were allowed to visit. Asked later if he had spoken to Netanyahu, he said, “I did talk to people over there,” but he declined to say to whom.
Omar, who became the first Somali-American elected to Congress, denounced the ban on her and Tlaib’s tour as “an affront” and “an insult to democratic values.”
In Israel, Netanyahu said Thursday that his country remains “open to critics and criticism,” except for those who advocate boycotts against it.
(AP)
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28 Responses
There are some very luxurious buildings, malls, and hotels in these so-called oppressed refugee camps. The two lovebirds, grandma lovebird and her darling American Citizen grandbaby, can be brought there in Limos to meet and eat dates while seated on gold trimmed furnishings. And not only surrounded by idf’s best, but by israeli and U.S. papparazzi. All photos of the actual views of Palestine luxury need to get out there. Oh, and a crowd of loyal Israeli Arabs need to grab a few minutes of her attention as well for public viewing. Led by Mohammed Zoabi and his mom. Those two are not the only ones.
Then she goes back on the plane and gets out of Dodge. Do not pass Go do not collect 200 nis.
Oh, I forgot, she has to share her ride to the airport with Brigitte Gabrielle. Now wouldn’t that be juicy? Well, I can dream, can’t I?
She’ll be able to see her grandmother in gehinnom, no problem
What do you expect
“Silencing me & treating me like a criminal is not what she wants for me. It would kill a piece of me. ”
Hopefully Israel will change the conditions and kill all of her,
What about the flip-flopping Semites?
Israel flip flopped and they look terrible for it. They started a dangerous precedent of denying American congresswomen into Israel and they gave themselves the negative publicity of due to pressure from Trump disregarding previous announcements that they would allow them in.
Their itinerary for their visit in Israel planned a visit whose sole objective is to strengthen the boycott against us and deny Israel’s legitimacy.
They described their trip as a “Delegation to Palestine,” even though Palestine does not exist legally, and unlike all Democratic and Republican members of Congress who have visited Israel, they did not request to meet any Israeli officials, either from the government or the opposition.
The organization that is funding their trip is Miftah, which is an avid supporter of BDS, and among whose members are those who have expressed support for terrorism against Israel.
A closer examination of Miftah reveals that the non-governmental organization (NGO) is extremely anti-Semitic, has ties to terrorist sympathizers, and has falsely accused Jews of using “the blood of Christians in the Jewish Passover.” Miftah has also reportedly praised suicide bombers and deems terrorists as being national heroes.
That’s some Chucky and the Indian princess won’t tell you.
Thank you for not sullying Israel with your polluted body
She lost any “high ground” she might arguably have gained by Bibi’s pandering to Trump. I still think it was a bad idea to deny her admission but clearly she is seeking to use this whole charade as a political statement and EY doesn’t have to be an accomplice to her game.
This is a piece of filth all Democrats can be proud off.
It appears that her hate of Israel and her antisemitism is GREATER than her love of her GRANDMOTHER. What a phony. The whole story is all ABOUT HER. Hey Michigan and Dems, wake up and smell the …..
Why would we, in Israel, want this anti-semite and any or all of her 3 friends to set foot on Jewish soil and soil its meaning.
Israel bans any and all BDS troublemakers from entering our country and that’s the law. The left wing democrat idiots in U.S. politics tout that we are an oppresive country. How many countries, especially in the middle-east, ban any and all Jewish people from entering their country. How many politicians publicly complain about those countries.
Two good things needs to be done: 1) get theses pack-of-four out of the U.S. government, & 2) make it a crime for any of them to stand on the soapbox at tout against any race, color, religion, or preference.
For her to visit Israel, and not find her family suffering in a concentration camp, would be a tremendous embarassment. This shows why Bibi was a fool to ban her two colleagues from visiting.
Notice how the Machshefa omits Israel twice in her letter.
1-Ministry of Interior-of what country?
2- Jerusalem- in which country?
she is not “American congresswomen ” she is our enemy. She cheers when Jewish children are blown up to pieces or stubs to death. Your leftists identity overrides your “Jewish” one.
It was all a game from the beginning. She never had any intention of visiting. Tlaib couldn’t care less about her family members. Palestinians celebrate when one of their family members blow themselves to bits in the process of murdering innocent Jewish men, women, & children. Rashid gambled and lost. She put on those classic Palestinian crocodile tears trying to tear at the heartstrings of the Israeli left. Now that they allowed the hypocrite in, she was caught with her pants down (so to speak). Now she’s got egg on her face. But not to worry. The BBC, NPR, MSNBC, the UN, & Kirsten Gillibrand will come to her defense and award her the victim card. Poor baby.
Prediction: because of her extreme Anti-Semetism she will get harsh punishment moment to moment. She will probably commit suicide within two weeks from now.
MIG,
Continue showing how much you hate America. Maybe you will be zoche to make Aliyah.
Ooh you probably are unable to get a refund on your flight then, but perhaps they will let her reschedule it for a fee. Ilhan ohmar probably might be able to get a refund since she is unable to go through no fault of her own. I have to look into this
jackk, the real America haters are you and your crazy nutcases Democrats. If your “love” for America defined by defending Jew-hating terrorist cheerleaders then you really need help.
In 2009 MK Ben Ari was denied a visa to the US. and in 2012 the Obama administration blocked MK Ben Ari from attending a conference in the United States. And the web gives absurd arguments as to why this is different. One is that the US gives so much money to Israel. Aside from other things wrong with that argument, the argument itself is self-defeating because it is these very people who have never voted in favour of any funding and who have openly called for stopping the funding.
As a Christian American, this really saddens me of having such a person in our government. I was very happy when I heard she was band from entering Israel, pretty sure most Americans were. Do not worry I know God will take care of her.
To all you useful idiots:
This was a lose-lose for E”Y on the PR front from the get-go. Israel did not “bar entry to members of congress”‘. The US and everyone else knows that members of congress are always welcome. The message was that supporters of BDS are NOT, regardless of their political positions. These muslim antisemitim will NEVER have anything to positive to say about E”Y because they don’t believe it has a right to exist, or that Jews have a right to practice their religion in their homeland. And so denying them entrance but allowing Tlaib to a visit to her (sob) grandmother, which she subsequently turned down was about the best possible play. Kudos to Netanyahu for not kowtowing, Kudos to Trump for supporting Israel yet again, and shame on AIPAC. Nachamu Ami – may we zoche to see the final geula and the destruction of the reshayim B”B.
jackk, “They started a dangerous precedent of denying American congresswomen into Israel ”
What are you talking about? Why would there ever be a presumption that any American congressman has a right to enter Israel? America has no problem denying entry to members of Knesset whom it doesn’t like, so why should the opposite not be taken for granted?
“My love for my sity”? What’s a “sity”? I think she means city. I would have thought an American congresswoman would know how to spell the word “city”.
“Love for my sity”……
And this is a member of the U.S. Congress? Spells like a 4 year old……..
One of the comments from her twitter page:
Spectator
@JackCorren
·
Aug 16
“I need to visit my grandma, I love her”
“Okay, but no meeting with terrorists while you’re here”
“Well I don’t love her *that* much”
Israel has been denying visas to politician that support BDS ever since the law was passed. There will be election in less then a month and Bibi can’t be seen as soft in this matter. You will notice that Deri is the one who let her in. Besides when an Israeli MK wanted to come to the US in 2012 he was denied a visa and guess what he is running in next months election..