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The Israeli decision to ban the entry of two US Democratic deputies, Rashida Tlaib and Ilham Omar, was greeted with indignation in Washington and Tel Aviv. So much so that Israel took a step back and said it would allow Tlaib – who has Palestinian origins and family in the West Bank – for "humanitarian reasons" to visit his 90-year-old grandmother. However, it imposed a condition: provided it does not promote the boycott of Israel.
The government of Benjamin Netanyahu, in a letter from the Ministry of the Interior published on Friday, said that in the end he would have authorized the visit of the Michigan deputy if he had promised in writing not to promote the boycott of Israel. "Visiting my grandmother in such oppressive conditions goes against everything I believe in," Tlaib replied on Twitter, stressing: "Silence me and treat me like a criminal is not what he wants for me."
However, the Israeli Interior Minister issued a letter, apparently signed by Tlaib, demanding his purely personal entry into Israel to visit his grandmother, reiterating that this could be the last time he saw it and that , to this end, would respect "any restriction" and not "promote the boycott during his visit". The letter was sent by Tlaib Thursday after Israel's decision not to allow entry. Until the closing of this edition, Tlaib did not comment on the contents of the letter.
Members of Congress, who are the first two Muslim women elected to the Congress, have planned to visit Israel from Sunday and tour, with a delegation from the Palestinian Authority and a Palestinian rights organization, West Bank cities such as Belem, Ramalá, Hebron and East Jerusalem, which in light of international law is the Palestinian territory annexed by Israel.
The Netanyahu government has prevented members of the Democratic Congress from joining its support for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, an organization of Palestinian origin that supports campaigns to boycott Israel economically and culturally, in view of the evacuation of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. . The ban was based on a recent law that allows the government to prevent BDS supporters from entering the country.
The issue had great repercussions in the United States, if Trump had not urged Israel to prevent Omar and Tlaib from entering a few hours before the announcement of the ban on deputies. An unprecedented action in the history of the relationship between the two countries.
"It is an affront that Prime Minister Netanyahu, under Trump's pressure, has denied the entry of two representatives of the US government," Omar said. Last month, Trump suggested to the congressional quartet known as "Platoon", which includes Omar and Tlaib, to "return" to their countries, even if they are US citizens. The vast majority of the Democratic Party has an automatic policy of support for Israel and many party members have already condemned this support by Tlaib and Omar for the BDS movement as an anti-Semite. But similar to Trump's attacks in July, the ban on entry again had a unifying effect on the Democrats. "As someone who loves Israel, I am very upset by the news that Israel has decided not to allow members of Congress to enter the country," said Nancy Pelosi, leader of the House of Representatives, in a statement.
Another Democratic member of Congress, also known for his opposition to the BDS movement, also wrote in a statement that the Tel Aviv decision "would provide a false and negative narrative of Israel – as weak and frightening – a perception that will surely be explored .from his enemies ".
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