U.S. Trumps Israel -- "Don't Be a Pussy, Bibi"

Thursday morning – August 15, 2019 – Trump tweeted:

"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!"

Soon after, Israel told two U.S. representatives – Ilhan Omar (Democrat of Minnesota) and Rashida Tlaib (Democrat from Michigan) – they would not be allowed to visit the country due to their outspoken support for the "boycott, sanctions and divestment" movement. Both women are Muslim and vocal supporters of the Palestinians. Israeli officials said they would only be able to visit if willing to pledge they would do so as "humanitarians" and not speak out against Israel.

The move to bar the progressive lawmakers from visiting the close U.S. ally marks both a dramatic escalation of Israel’s campaign against the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement and a politically motivated racist affront by Trump.

Evidence shows Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acts like a Republican partisan while both he and Trump use Islamophobic rhetoric in political campaigns. The leaders employ this strategy against Democrats in an effort to bolster Jewish support and fire up conservative white evangelical base.

“Representatives Omar and Tlaib are the face of the Democrat Party, and they HATE Israel!” Trump wrote Thursday on Twitter after the two Democrats were barred by Netanyahu’s government from entering Israel.

The close relationship between Trump and Netanyahu has intensified ever since Trump became the first U.S. president to honor a pledge made by nearly every other presidential nominee to move the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Netanyahu, in turn, personally dedicated the groundbreaking for a new community called “Trump Heights” in the disputed territory of the Golan Heights.

The Israeli government now follows its new ally – Donald Trump. At every turn, the tight alliance between the Trump administration and the Netanyahu government has facilitated Israel’s drift to the right, further widening the gap between Israel and many of its Jewish allies in the United States.

When submitting paperwork for their visit, both Omar and Talib listed “Palestine” as their destination, unlike all other representatives that recently visited Israel. The representatives planned to tour the flashpoint site of the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem, as well as the West Bank.

Funding for their trip came from Miftah, an extreme pro-Palestinian organization that outwardly supports BDS. The trip was also coordinated by veteran peace negotiator Hanan Ashrawi, winner of the Olof Palme Prize (2002), the Sydney Peace Prize (2003) and the Mahatma Gandhi International Award for Peace and Reconciliation (2005).

Established in Jerusalem in December 1998, Miftah seeks to promote the principles of democracy and good governance within various components of Palestinian society; it further seeks to engage local and international public opinion and official circles on the Palestinian cause. Miftah has adopted the mechanisms of an active and in-depth dialogue, the free flow of information and ideas, as well as local and international networking. Its overall goal is to contribute to the building of a democratic State of Palestine.

It is apparent that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, under pressure from President Trump, denied entry to the representatives. Many believe it should be Israel’s decision alone to admit or deny these two congresswomen without the influence of the U.S. President. As usual, Trump made the situation about himself, dividing the United States, Israel, and Jews around the world

In a statement, Representative Omar called the move "an affront" …

"It is an affront that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, under pressure from President Trump, would deny entry to representatives of the U.S. government. Trump's Muslim ban is what Israel is implementing, this time against two duly elected Members of Congress. Denying entry into Israel not only limits our ability to learn from Israelis, but also to enter the Palestinian territories.

"Sadly, this is not a surprise given the public positions of Prime Minister Netanyahu, who has consistently resisted peace efforts, restricted the freedom of movement of Palestinians, limited public knowledge of the brutal realities of the occupation and aligned himself with Islamophobes like Donald Trump."

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said the decision to deny entry to Reps. Omar and Tlaib is a "sign of weakness" from Israel and "beneath the dignity" of the country.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer spoke with Prime Minister Netanyahu and Ambassador Dermer on Wednesday to try to convince the Israeli government to allow Tlaib and Omar entry, according to an aide. Hoyer recently returned from an annual trip to Israel along with dozens of Congressional Democrats. In a statement, he called the decision "outrageous."

Hoyer said …

"The decision of the Israeli government to deny entry to Israel by two Members of Congress is outrageous, regardless of their itinerary or their views. This action is contrary to the statement and assurances to me by Israel's ambassador to the United States that 'out of respect for the U.S. Congress and the great alliance between Israel and America, we would not deny entry to any Member of Congress into Israel.' That representation was not true."

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., who is running for president, tweeted …

"Israel doesn't advance its case as a tolerant democracy or unwavering US ally by barring elected members of Congress from visiting because of their political views. This would be a shameful, unprecedented move. I urge Israel's government to allow @IlhanMN and @RashidaTlaib entry."

Sen. Chuck Schumer said that “denying entry to members of the United States Congress is a sign of weakness, not strength …

“It will only hurt the U.S.-Israeli relationship and support for Israel in America. No democratic society should fear an open debate. Many strong supporters of Israel will be deeply disappointed in this decision, which the Israeli government should reverse.”

Emma Green of The Atlantic writes …

“In the past few years, Israel has turned away a Columbia University professor, leaders in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), and an American student. It has also detained Israel critics such as the Atlantic contributor Peter Beinart for extensive questioning, even though Beinart self-identifies as a Zionist. Last year, the government released a list of 20 international organizations that would be banned for their alignment with the BDS movement, including the American group Jewish Voices for Peace.

“While the Israeli government has defended these decisions as preventing 'such groups from spreading their falsehoods and odious methods from within the country,' as the Israeli minister of public security, strategic affairs, and information, Gilad Erdan, told The Washington Post, critics and allies alike have described them as fundamentally antidemocratic, because they have the effect of stifling dissent. That criticism will only intensify with this ban on two democratically elected American congresswomen; the ban directly plays into their argument that Israel does not behave as a free, democratic nation should.”

(Emma Green. “Trump Has Enabled Israel’s Antidemocratic Tendencies

at Every Turn.” The Atlantic. August 15, 2019.)

Netanyahu has all but abandoned Israel’s traditional stance of bipartisan diplomacy in the U.S. yet he claims “there is no country in the world that respects the U.S. and the American Congress more than Israel.” Really? Omar, born in Michigan to Palestinian parents, and Tlaib, a naturalized US citizen who arrived as a child refugee from Somalia, were the first Muslim women elected to Congress. I guess that “respect” stops in respect to Muslims.

American Jews voted against Trump in greater numbers than any other U.S. religious group in 2016, according to Pew Research Center, and they have been on the front lines of protest against Trump's administration. And now, Israel, under Netanyahu, feverishly works to keep out its critics. Isn't this just like "Send Her Back" Donald Trump? He  increasingly exerts undue pressures on those in his own country and on those abroad. As the Great Divider and Racist-In-Chief, he shows no signs of stopping the aggression.