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Minnesota U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar says Israel's move to block her and Michigan U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib from visiting the country is "an insult to democratic values."

Rep. Omar says in a statement that Israel's move Thursday is the equivalent of President Trump's effort to block travel to the U.S. from Muslim-dominated countries. And she says denying entry "not only limits our ability to learn from Israelis, but also to enter the Palestinian territories."

In response to the decision, Rep. Tlaib said Israel's move to block her from visiting because of her support for a boycott movement against the country is a "sign of weakness." 

Tlaib, the daughter of Palestinian immigrants, Thursday tweeted a photo of her grandmother, who lives in the West Bank. She said her grandmother "deserves to live in peace & with human dignity," and barring her granddaughter from entering "is a sign of weakness" because "the truth of what is happening to Palestinians is frightening."

Earlier Thursday, Israel's deputy foreign minister Tzipi Hotovely said that "Israel has decided not to allow" the two Democratic congresswomen to visit as planned.

She said it is in keeping with a policy of denying entry to those who advocate boycotts of Israel.

Her remarks came shortly after President Trump tweeted that "it would show great weakness" if Israel allowed them in, claiming: "They hate Israel & all Jewish people, & there is nothing that can be said or done to change their minds."

President Trump Thursday defended Israel's decision, even as he claims he didn't "encourage or discourage" the move. He told reporters that he "did speak to people over there" regarding the decision but says he was "only involved from the standpoint that they're very anti-Jewish and very anti-Israel."

Trump has spent weeks now criticizing the members, including sending racist tweets.

Last month, Israeli ambassador to the U.S. Ron Dermer said Israel would not deny entry to any member of Congress.

Israel often hosts delegations of U.S. representatives and senators, who usually meet with senior Israeli officials as well as Palestinian officials in the occupied West Bank.

A decision to ban the congresswomen could further sharpen divisions among U.S. Democrats over Israel ahead of the 2020 elections. Republicans have amplified the views of left-wing Democrats like Tlaib and Omar to present the party as deeply divided and at odds with Israel. Democratic leaders have pushed back, reiterating the party's strong support for Israel, in part to protect representatives from more conservative districts.

In July, the Democratic-led House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly in favor of a resolution against the BDS movement.

Tlaib and Omar have also been the target of repeated attacks by President Donald Trump in recent months, including a series of racist tweets on July 14 in which he said they should "go back" to the "broken" countries they came from. Both are U.S. citizens and Tlaib was born in the United States. The two are members of the so-called "Squad" of newly-elected left-wing Democrats, along with Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts.

Politicians and former diplomats spoke out against barring the congresswomen from visiting following an unconfirmed report that Israel had resolved to bar Omar and Tlaib from entering the country.

Minnesota U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar said she was stunned by Israel’s decision. She said during an interview on CNN that the president is “exporting intolerance” by tweet. 

“I’m glad that the major Jewish organizations have come out against this,” she said. “While they don’t agree with the words, as I do not either, of these congresswomen on this subject, you don’t ban them from visiting Israel. That makes you weaker — not stronger.”

Rep. Justin Amash of Michigan, a former member of the Republican Party who recently became an independent, encouraged Israel to allow the two representatives to visit, saying in a tweet that banning the congresswomen would “inevitably harm U.S.-Israel relations.”

View Rep. Justin Amash's response on Twitter

Former U.S. Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro wrote on Twitter that the decision to bar their entry "harms Israel's standing in the U.S., boosts BDS."

Israeli lawmaker Ayman Odeh, leader of the Joint List of Arab parties, criticized the move, writing that "Israel has always banned Palestinians from their land and separated us from other Palestinians, but this time the Palestinian is a U.S. Congresswoman."

Arthur Lenk, formerly Israel's ambassador to South Africa, said barring Omar and Tlaib "would be sinking us deeper into U.S. domestic political quagmire."

Politics and Government News

The Associated Press

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MPR News Staff

Rep. Omar says in a statement that Israel's move Thursday is the equivalent of President Trump's effort to block travel to the U.S. from Muslim-dominated countries. And she says denying entry "not only limits our ability to learn from Israelis, but also to enter the Palestinian territories."


Omar: Israel's move to block her, Tlaib from entry is 'insult to democratic values'

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