Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted that Israel continues to equally respect all political parties in the U.S., following accusations of partisan discrimination. There has been rising anger by American Democratic lawmakers over Jerusalem’s decision to bar entry of U.S. Congresswomen Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, both of whom actively support the global Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against the Jewish State.
It is important to note that after being denied admittance, Tlaib, who is of Palestinian descent, sent a written request to Israeli Interior Minister Aryeh Deri for authorization to visit her 90 year-old grandmother who resides in the West Bank, while vowing to “respect any restrictions” and refrain from promoting “boycotts against Israel.” A short time after her request was granted, however, Tlaib released a statement in which she announced the cancellation of her travel plans, after labeling Israel’s demands as “racism, oppression & injustice.”
That said, reports revealed that the true reason behind her reversal was at the behest of her West Bank relatives to refuse Israel’s conditions. In an interview with the Congresswoman’s grandmother, Muftia Tlaib voiced her hope to possibly see her granddaughter in the near future. When asked about U.S. President Donald Trump, however, she cursed the American leader and called on God “to bring about his ruin.”
The criticism of President Trump came after he reportedly pressured Jerusalem to bar the visit of the two democratic representatives – insisting in a message on his Twitter account that ‘allowing them entry would depict Israel as weak.’