Breaking: Isreal bans two congress women shortly after Trump’s speech
Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar have been banned from entering Israel, Tzipi Hotovely spokesman for deputy foreign minister announces.
Isreal announced Thursday it was barring the entry of two US congresswomen after Donald Trump encouraged the move, a remarkable step both by the US President and his ally, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to punish political opponents.Israel decided to ban Reps.
The announcement came shortly after Trump said Israel would be showing “great weakness” by allowing them to enter the country.The intervention by Trump into Israel’s decision-making was extraordinary enough.
But the move by the Netanyahu’s government lent the longstanding US-Israel alliance with a new partisan tinge and opened the door for fresh criticism.
In considering the ban, Israel had cited the congresswomen’s support for a boycott against Israel, according to an Israeli government official.
“The State of Israel respects the American Congress in the framework of the close alliance between the two countries, but it is unthinkable that an entry to Israel would be allowed to those who seek to damage the State of Israel, even during a visit,” said Interior Minister Aryeh Deri in a statement. Under Israeli law, the interior minister is the one authorized to make a decision on barring entry.
Deri said he made the decision with the support of Netanyahu and other Israeli officials.
The boycott movement, formally known as the Boycott, Divest, and Sanctions movement, aims to end international support for Israel because of its policies towards Palestinians, as well as its continued construction of West Bank settlements, considered a violation of international law.
Tlaib and Omar have been vocal critics of Israel and have supported the boycott movement, also known as BDS, and voted against a House resolution condemning the BDS movement, which received broad bipartisan support.
