Members of the far-left “Squad” are reacting to the fallout between Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) and Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and Israel, with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) promising to cease trips to Israel “until all members of Congress are allowed.”
Israel barred Tlaib and Omar Thursday, citing their ongoing support of the BDS movement. Fellow “Squad” members Ocasio-Cortez and Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) reacted to Israel’s initial position with force. Ocasio-Cortez proclaimed that Trump is “exporting his bigotry & making matters worse” and pledged to cease trips to Israel “until all members of Congress are allowed”:
MoC are frequently asked to visit Israel to “see things for ourselves.”
But Netanyahu choosing to ban the only 2 Muslim women in Congress from entering tells the US that only *some* Americans are welcome to Israel, not all.
Trump is exporting his bigotry &making matters worse. https://t.co/PFdMDxuIfJ
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) August 15, 2019
Netanyahu’s discriminatory decision to ban members of Congress from Israel harms int’l diplomacy.
Visiting Israel & Palestine are key experiences towards a path to peace.
Sadly, I cannot move forward w scheduling any visits to Israel until all members of Congress are allowed. https://t.co/WTP5vnt5IH
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) August 15, 2019
Pressley called Israel’s decision “bigoted, short-sighted, and cruel” and demanded all lawmakers to stand in solidarity “calling this out”:
I’m calling this like I see it: bigoted, short sighted and cruel. Any leader committed to advancing democracy would welcome with open arms two democratically elected United States Congresswomen. And every single member of Congress should be calling this out. https://t.co/Ydn3KQLofn
— Ayanna Pressley (@AyannaPressley) August 15, 2019
Omar – who is at the center of the controversy – released a statement Thursday and accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of aligning with “Islamophobes” like President Trump:
It is an affront that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, under pressure from President Trump, would deny entry to representatives of the U.S. government.
My full statement: pic.twitter.com/v00ESmehXT
— Rep. Ilhan Omar (@Ilhan) August 15, 2019
She admitted Friday that the goal of their trip centered around “witness[ing] firsthand what is happening on the ground in Palestine and hear[ing] from stakeholders”:
Let’s be clear: the goal of our trip was to witness firsthand what is happening on the ground in Palestine and hear from stakeholders —our job as Members of Congress.
But since we were unable to fulfill our role as legislators, I am sharing what we would have seen. (THREAD)
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) August 16, 2019
First, I planned to hold meetings with members of the Knesset (both Jewish and Arab) along with Israeli security officials.
The claims of @IsraeliPM otherwise are not true.
As a delegation, we were also were scheduling a meeting with @USAmbIsrael. https://t.co/tazkSiUYkM
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) August 16, 2019
Then, the delegation was going to receive a briefing on the Bedouin community in East Jerusalem. For decades, Bedouin homes have been bulldozed and communities have been uprooted in order to build settlements on Palestinian land.
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) August 16, 2019
Tlaib wrote a letter to Israeli Interior Minister Ayreh Deri Thursday, expressing her desire to see her aging grandmother and promising to refrain from encouraging boycotts during her visit. Deri reversed his decision Friday morning, but Tlaib rejected the offer, despite begging for the opportunity to see her grandmother.
“Silencing me & treating me like a criminal is not what she wants for me. It would kill a piece of me,” she wrote Friday.
“I have decided that visiting my grandmother under these oppressive conditions stands against everything I believe in–fighting against racism, oppression & injustice,” she added:
Silencing me & treating me like a criminal is not what she wants for me. It would kill a piece of me. I have decided that visiting my grandmother under these oppressive conditions stands against everything I believe in–fighting against racism, oppression & injustice. https://t.co/z5t5j3qk4H
— Rashida Tlaib (@RashidaTlaib) August 16, 2019
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), who has experienced her own internal battles with the far-left flank, stood in solidarity with the “Squad,” calling the original decision “beneath the dignity of the great State of #Israel”:
Israel’s denial of entry to Congresswomen Tlaib & Omar is beneath the dignity of the great State of #Israel. @realDonaldTrump's statements about the Congresswomen are a sign of ignorance & disrespect, & beneath the dignity of the Office of the President. https://t.co/F2E0g0Wj2T
— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) August 15, 2019
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