Rep. Ilhan Omar accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of lying about the itinerary for her and Rep. Rashida Tlaib’s canceled trip to Israel.
“I planned to hold meetings with members of the Knesset (both Jewish and Arab) along with Israeli security officials,” the Minnesota Democrat said in a Friday tweet. “The claims of @IsraeliPM otherwise are not true. As a delegation, we were also were scheduling a meeting with @USAmbIsrael.”
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
The accusation comes after Netanyahu said he would not allow the two congresswomen to enter the country because of an itinerary that included the destination as Palestine and not Israel.
“Only a few days ago, we received their itinerary for their visit in Israel, which revealed that they planned a visit whose sole objective is to strengthen the boycott against us and deny Israel’s legitimacy,” the prime minster said Thursday.
“For instance: they listed the destination of their trip as Palestine and not Israel, and unlike all Democratic and Republican members of Congress who have visited Israel, they did not request to meet any Israeli officials, either from the government or the opposition,” he continued.
For instance: they listed the destination of their trip as Palestine and not Israel, and unlike all Democratic and Republican members of Congress who have visited Israel, they did not request to meet any Israeli officials, either from the government or the opposition.
— PM of Israel (@IsraeliPM) August 15, 2019
Both congresswomen are open supporters of the boycott, divest, and sanctions movement. Israeli law bans foreign nationals who support the movement from entering the country. The government initially gave the duo a waiver before reversing the decision after reviewing their itinerary.
Among other reasons the government gave for not allowing the congresswomen to enter was the revelation that the group Miftah was funding their trip. The group has openly linked to neo-Nazi articles on their website, with the head of the group also celebrating Palestinian suicide bombers.
In addition, the organization that is funding their trip is Miftah, which is an avid supporter of BDS, and among whose members are those who have expressed support for terrorism against Israel.
— PM of Israel (@IsraeliPM) August 15, 2019
