Politics • US news

“The Squad” Responds to Israel Blocking Omar and Tlaib

5 години преди

On Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli government announced the decision to cancel planned visits from controversial lawmakers Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, due to their open support of boycott movements against Israel.

In a statement, Netanyahu explained that Israeli law “prohibits the entry of people who call and operate to boycott Israel, as is the case with other democracies that prevent the entry of people whose perception harms the country.”

The news quickly prompted an eruption of responses from across the political spectrum, as US pundits and commenters raced to share their thoughts on the latest developments.

In the hours that followed the announcement, information continued to come forth, some of which revealed that the freshmen Congresswomen appeared to have listed Palestine, rather than Israel, as their travel destination.

Additional details regarding the co-sponsors of the trip, a group reported to espouse anti-Israel sentiments, added further fuel to the tumultuous issue.

Specifically, Tlaib and Omar’s open support for the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement seemingly violated Israeli law, as the movement has been accused of attempting to essentially eliminate the existence of Israel as a nation.

While the decision sparked sweeping debates across the US, it is not the first time the two lawmakers have found themselves in the spotlight for their views toward Israel, a fact frequently cited by conservative pundits and critics.

Among those critics is President Trump, himself, who has continuously and directly condemned both Congresswomen for their remarks on Israel and Jews in general.

In response to the news, Trump took to social media do slam both Omar and Tlaib, who he said have become “the face of the Democrat Party, and they HATE Israel!”

Earlier in the day, Trump stated that, should Israel allow the two to visit, the decision “would show great weakness,” again asserting that Tlaib and Omar “hate Israel [and] all Jewish people.”

Trump went on to explain his belief that both lawmakers were set in their beliefs, noting, “there is nothing that can be said or done to change their minds,” regarding their views on Israel.

The president speculated on re-election bids for the two, and suggested both Omar and Tlaib may face difficulties in future election, adding, “They are a disgrace!”

Speaking on the issue later, Trump said he “can’t imagine why Israel would let them in,” and pointed to the pair’s lengthy history of questionable remarks, many of which have been deemed to be anti-Semitic.

Prime Minister Netanyahu also used social media to further clarify the decision to block the trip, and explained that Tlaib and Omar were denied entry due to their support for boycott movements against Israel, along with some other interesting information.

Netanyahu continued, explaining that the US Congresswomen had listed Palestine, rather than Israel, as their intended destination: a slight which many interpreted to be the denial of Israel’s right to exist as a nation.

Furthermore, Netanyahu also revealed that Omar and Tlaib “did not request to meet any Israeli officials, either from the government or the opposition,” indicating their desire was not to meet with anyone within the Israeli government.

“The itinerary of the two Congresswomen reveals that the sole purpose of their visit is to harm Israel and increase incitement against it,” said Netanyahu, who went on to point out that the trip was organized and funded by controversial group Miftah.

The Israeli Prime Minister called Miftah “an avid supporter of BDS, and among whose members are those who have expressed support for terrorism against Israel.”

Hanan Ashrawi, the head of Miftah, has been linked to the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and has made several controversial remarks towards Israel.

Ashrawi reportedly stated she helped plan the trip for Omar and Tlaib “to engage with the Palestinian people directly, and to see things on the ground.”

Omar, Tlaib, and scores of their Democrat colleagues, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and several 2020 Democrat presidential challengers, condemned the decision while overwhelmingly using the situation to attack President Trump.

Tlaib called the blockage of the trip “a sign of weakness,” while Omar declared it “an affront.”

Democrat Senator and presidential hopeful Elizabeth Warren said the decision to cancel the trip was “a shameful, unprecedented move,” while pressuring the Israeli government to change its mind.

Bernie Sanders, Warren’s Senate colleague and presidential rival, said the move was “a sign of enormous disrespect,” while Cory Booker took the more direct approach and blamed President Trump in a scathing statement.

Despite Democrats’ opposition to the decision, both Omar and Tlaib have made no secret of their disdain for Israel.

Omar, specifically, has faced mountainous controversy over a series of remarks which were widely interpreted to be anti-Semitic in nature, including veiled insinuations to tropes that Jewish Americans possessed dual loyalty.

Such comments earned severe bipartisan backlash for Omar, who has also faced further scrutiny for her subsequent apologies, which were largely panned as insincere.

This article was written by the staff of TheConservativeOpinion.com 

By CK Heltzel

Source: theconservativeopinion

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