'Beneath the Dignity of Israel': Bay Area Lawmakers Condemn Ban of Reps. Omar, Tlaib

Updated Aug. 16, 2019, 9:50 a.m.

Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., says she’s canceling her visit to Israel and the West Bank.

Israel’s interior ministry announced Friday that it would allow Tlaib to enter the country as a private citizen to visit her aging grandmother, after it banned her and Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., from going on a political trip amid pressure from President Trump.

In a statement Friday morning, Tlaib said that she “decided to not travel to Palestine and Israel at this time. Visiting my grandmother under these oppressive conditions meant to humiliate me would break my grandmother’s heart.”

Israel’s shift regarding Tlaib, whose parents are Palestinian immigrants to the U.S. and who has close relatives in the West Bank, came hours after Israel banned her and fellow Muslim Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., apparently in response to pressure from Trump, who tweeted that the two hated “Israel & all Jewish people” and that Israel “would show great weakness” by letting them visit.

On Friday, however, Israel’s interior ministry said Minister Aryeh Deri had decided to allow Tlaib to conduct a “humanitarian visit” to her 90-year-old grandmother. According to the statement, Tlaib sent a letter to Deri accepting conditions and limits on her visit and promising not to advance boycotts against Israel while she is there.

There was no word on whether Israel had changed its position on Omar, a Somali-born American. She had been scheduled to arrive on Saturday in Israel, where she and Tlaib planned to tour the West Bank and visit the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.

Original Post Aug. 15, 2019

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has banned two Democratic U.S. congresswomen from visiting the country and the Palestinian territories this weekend, according to a government official.

Israeli radio reported that in an interview, Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely said the country would bar entry to “those who reject our right to exist in the world.”

The move, which marks a reversal for Netanyahu and his government, comes after President Trump publicly urged the Israeli leader on Twitter to block Reps. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., and Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., saying it would be showing “weakness” if they were allowed to visit.

“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!” Trump tweeted.

Several Bay Area lawmakers were swift to condemn the bans and Trump.

Democratic Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said in a statement she was “deeply saddened by the news” and “prays that the Government of Israel will reverse” its denial.

“Israel’s denial of entry to Congresswomen Tlaib and Omar is a sign of weakness, and beneath the dignity of the great State of Israel,” Pelosi wrote. “The President’s statements about the Congresswomen are a sign of ignorance and disrespect, and beneath the dignity of the Office of the President.”

South Bay Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Fremont, said in a statement that “censoring disagreement to the point of barring visits by members of the United States Congress prevents lawmakers from conducting their oversight duties.”

“These are US tax dollars at work — Congress has a right to see where they are going,” Khanna wrote. “I urge the Israeli government to reconsider this decision in the name of democracy.”

Silicon Valley Democratic Rep. Anna Eshoo said in a statement that barring two members of Congress from Israel was “deeply disappointing and counterproductive to the special bond between the United States and Israel.”

“President Trump’s comments encouraging Israel to deny Members of Congress entry into Israel are borne out of ignorance, and it’s sad that Prime Minister Netanyahu took the bait,” Eshoo said.

Peninsula congresswoman Jackie Speier, D-Hillsborough, called it a tragic and stupid decision, but saved her sharpest criticism for Trump.

“It’s very troubling that our own president would signal to Israel that they should not admit two members of Congress. It’s deplorable actually,” Speier told KQED.

East Bay congressman and former presidential candidate Eric Swalwell said “Democracies don’t ban visiting leaders from other democracies.”

Omar and Tlaib have been vocal critics of the Israeli government and Trump’s unwavering support of Netanyahu. They also voted against a nonbinding resolution condemning a Palestinian-led movement calling for boycotts, divestment and sanctions in Israel, which they have repeatedly defended.

Tlaib has accused Israel of “racist policies.”

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.

But as recently as last month, Israeli Ambassador Ron Dermer said Tlaib and Omar would be allowed to visit Israel “out of respect for the U.S. Congress and the great alliance between Israel and America.”

In a statement Thursday, Netanyahu said they “planned a visit whose sole objective is to strengthen the boycott against us and deny Israel’s legitimacy.”

MIFTAH, the group that helped organize the lawmakers’ trip, called the ban “a clear case of discrimination and hostility based on political views and ethnic background, deserving of moral indignation and unequivocal condemnation in Palestine and the United States.”

Officials said they had worked hard to organize a well-rounded visit for the congresswomen, as well as Rep. Stacey Plakett, D-Virgin Islands, “in order to facilitate their engagement with Palestinian civil society and to provide them with an opportunity to see the reality of occupation for themselves.”

Omar tweeted Thursday afternoon that “Trump’s Muslim ban is what Israel is implementing, this time against two duly elected Members of Congress.”

Trump has singled out the representatives in the past as part of his accusation that Democrats are anti-Israel and anti-Semitic. The president ignited a massive controversy last month after he lashed out Tlaib and Omar, as well as freshman Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ayanna Pressley, tweeting that they should “go back” to where they came from and that he doesn’t believe they are “capable” of loving the country.

Several pro-Israel groups promptly criticized Israel’s decision, including J Street. President Jeremy Ben-Ami called it “dangerous, unacceptable and wrong.”

“As sitting members of Congress representing hundreds of thousands of Americans in their districts, Reps. Omar and Tlaib have the same right as every one of their colleagues to visit Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory,” Ben-Ami said in a statement.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said in a statement that Israel’s decision “is outrageous, regardless of the itinerary or their views.” He said discussions are underway that could allow Tlaib to visit relatives in the West Bank, which Israel says it would consider if she reapplied for a personal visit.

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KQED’s Don Clyde and Peter Jon Shuler contributed to this post.