President Trump criticized Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib for her Friday decision not to visit her grandmother in the West Bank on a humanitarian basis after Israel blocked her from entering the country.
“Israel was very respectful & nice to Rep. Rashida Tlaib, allowing her permission to visit her ‘grandmother,'” Trump tweeted on Friday evening. “As soon as she was granted permission, she grandstanded & loudly proclaimed she would not visit Israel.”
The president further speculated on the motivation behind Tlaib’s planned trip, asking, “Could this possibly have been a setup? Israel acted appropriately!”
Israel was very respectful & nice to Rep. Rashida Tlaib, allowing her permission to visit her “grandmother.” As soon as she was granted permission, she grandstanded & loudly proclaimed she would not visit Israel. Could this possibly have been a setup? Israel acted appropriately!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 16, 2019
Rep. Tlaib was scheduled to travel to Israel with fellow liberal Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota this upcoming weekend when Israel suddenly withdrew their approval for the women to enter the country. Both women actively support the boycott, divestment, and sanctions movement against Israel and Israeli businesses and have both been sharply critical of Israel in the past. Tlaib is also on record supporting a one-state solution for Palestine that would mean the end of Israeli sovereignty.
The trip was being planned by Mitfah, a starkly pro-BDS, anti-Israel nonprofit group that has a history of anti-Semitic comments and actions that disavow the right of Israel to exist. The itinerary for the congresswomen drafted by Mitfah even referred to Israel as Palestine.
Following the announcement that Israel had chosen to block the congresswomen from entering the country, Tlaib was granted special consideration to be allowed to visit her 90-year-old grandmother who lives within the West Bank. Israel agreed to allow her into the country on a humanitarian basis but requested that she not participate in BDS or protests against Israel while in the country.
Initially, she agreed to the requests, but on Friday morning she announced that she would not be visiting her grandmother.
“Silencing me & treating me like a criminal is not what she wants for me,” Tlaib said. “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.”
President Trump fired back at Tlaib for her choice to jilt her grandmother, saying, “Rep. Tlaib wrote a letter to Israeli officials desperately wanting to visit her grandmother. Permission was quickly granted, whereupon Tlaib obnoxiously turned the approval down, a complete setup. The only real winner here is Tlaib’s grandmother. She doesn’t have to see her now!”
Rep. Tlaib wrote a letter to Israeli officials desperately wanting to visit her grandmother. Permission was quickly granted, whereupon Tlaib obnoxiously turned the approval down, a complete setup. The only real winner here is Tlaib’s grandmother. She doesn’t have to see her now!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 16, 2019
