President Trump encouraged the Israeli government to bar Reps. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan from visiting the country on Thursday morning.
The two Democratic congresswomen are Muslim and have publicly stated their support for the boycott, divestment, and sanctions movement, which aims to pressure Israel to improve its treatment of Palestinians.
“It would show great weakness if Israel allowed Rep. Omar and Rep.Tlaib to visit,” the president tweeted. “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!”
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!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 15, 2019
The congresswomen are scheduled to arrive in Israel this weekend and their trip is being planned by a nonprofit that seeks a “sovereign, independent, democratic, tolerant, and inclusive Palestinian state.”
Israel’s ambassador to the U.S., Ron Dermer, has previously said that Omar and Tlaib would be allowed entry into the country, but that contradicts reports from Axios that Trump has told advisers that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should bar them from entering.
A new Israeli law allows the government the ability to bar foreign nationals from admittance into the country if they have publicly backed or called for a boycott against Israel.
The president has frequently criticized Omar and Tlaib, alleging that they hate both Israel and Jewish people. They, in turn, have called the president “racist” and support his impeachment.
