A number of Democratic and a few Republican leaders have slammed Israeli Prime Minister’s decision to bar the entry of two US Muslim Congresswomen to Israel and Palestinian territories this weekend.
The move was announced shortly after President Trump publicly urged the Netanyahu government to ban Congresswomen Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib.
"It would show great weakness if Israel allowed Rep. Omar and Rep. Tlaib to visit. They hate Israel & all Jewish people, & there is nothing that can be said or done to change their minds. Minnesota and Michigan will have a hard time putting them back in office. They are a disgrace!" President Trump said in a tweet.
Trump later defended the Israeli decision saying, "I can't imagine why Israel would let them in," adding, that the two lawmakers were "very anti-Jewish and very anti-Israel."
Omar and Tlaib, the first two Muslim women to be elected to the US Congress, have been vocal critics of Israel and its treatment of Palestinians and their frequent criticism has also drawn accusations of anti-Semitism. Omar was also condemned by the congressional leadership in her own party for her views on jews on social media.
But on this occasion, even some of the strongly pro-Israel Democrats were quick to denounce the Israeli decision. Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, said she was “deeply saddened” by the news.
Rep Ilhan Omar accused Netanyahu of implementing his own version of “Muslim ban”.
“It is an affront that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, under pressure from President Trump, would deny entry to representatives of the U.S. government,” Omar said in a statement. “Trump’s Muslim ban is what Israel is implementing, this time against two duly elected members of Congress.”
The pro-Israel lobby American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) too has criticized the move.
In a tweet, it said: "We disagree with Reps. Omar and Tlaib’s support for the anti-Israel and anti-peace BDS movement, along with Rep. Tlaib’s calls for a one-state solution. We also believe every member of Congress should be able to visit and experience our democratic ally Israel firsthand."
Israeli law bars visits by people who support the global boycott movement against Israel over its treatment of the Palestinians. Israel says the boycott challenges the country's legitimacy.
The leading muslim advocacy group in the United States, CAIR, issued a statement criticising President Trump’s support for Israel’s decision.
“Elected officials of all political parties must make a choice between supporting a foreign segregationist government occupying another people or backing two American Congresswomen of colour who are being targeted by a racist, Islamophobic and white supremacist president,” said CAIR’s director Nihad Awad in a statement.
It's not the first time the two Congresswomen have sparred with President Trump. Last month Trump attacked them by telling them --“go back” and fix “the crime infested places from which they came”—a comment which many commentators called racist.
Rashida Tlaib, who was born to Palestinian immigrants, represents a Congressional district from Michigan while Omar, who came to the US as a refugee from Somalia, represents Minnesota’s Congressional district. She is also the first non-white women to be elected from Minnesota.
Experts say Israel has never before barred a member of Congress and the decision puts it at odds not just with Democrats but also with some Republicans.