After getting banned from entering Israel for promoting boycotts of the Jewish state, Omar and Tlaib say the U.S. should halt aid to Israel if it doesn’t grant Palestinians their “rights.”
By United with Israel Staff and AP
Democratic U.S. Congresswomen Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan on Monday slammed Israel for enforcing a law that permits the Jewish state to keep out people that boycott it.
While Omar was banned completely, Tlaib was granted permission to visit her grandmother in Samaria, an offer she rejected because she would be prohibited from pushing her anti-Israel agenda under such conditions.
Omar and Tlaib have remained staunch supporters of the BDS movement, which seeks to demonize Israeli and ultimately eliminate it.
At a press conference Monday, Omar said the U.S. should halt aid to Israel, calling Jerusalem’s decision to ban her “incompatible” with its status as an American ally and a democratic state.
Tlaib and Omar were banned after their itinerary revealed that their destination was listed as “Palestine” and their trip was sponsored by a Palestinian group that has promoted anti-Semitic material and expressed support for terrorism. Both congresswomen have faced persistent accusations of anti-Semitism and have vociferously criticized the Jewish state throuout their careers.
Omar has tweeted about Israel’s “evil” actions, claimed it “hypnotized” the world, and accused people who support Israel of allegiance to a foreign power, echoing the anti-Semitic dual loyalty canard. Tlaib favors a “one-state” solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict that would replace Israel.
At the press conference, Omar demanded that Israel “stop the expansion of [Jewish] settlements on Palestinian land, and ensure full rights for Palestinians,” if the U.S. is to continue “giv[ing] them aid.” She also explicitly alluded to the “more than $3 billion in aid every year” the U.S. provides to Israel.
White House spokesperson Hogan Gidley commented on the situation prior to the press conference on Monday, stating, “Congresswomen Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar have a well-documented history of anti-Semitic comments, anti-Semitic social media posts and anti-Semitic relationships. Israel has the right to prevent people who want to destroy it from entering the country — and Democrats’ pointless Congressional inquiries here in America cannot change the laws Israel has passed to protect itself.”