WASHINGTON: Atearful US Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib said on Monday that her Palestiniangrandmother told her last week not to visit Israel under conditions demanded bythe Israeli government. Tlaib said she had considered accepting Israeli demandsto not engage in politics so that she could travel to the West Bank and visither grandmother, who is around 90 years old.
"She saidI'm her dream manifested, I'm her free bird, so why would I come back and becaged and bow down, when my election rose her head up high, gave her dignityfor the first time?" Tlaib told reporters. "And so through tears, at3:00 in the morning, we all decided as a family that I could not go until I wasa free United States congresswoman."
Tlaib and IlhanOmar, the first two Muslim women ever elected to the US Congress, had planned atrip last week to the Jewish state and Palestinian territories, where theyexpected to meet with activists and officials on both sides. But on ThursdayPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government bowed to urging from PresidentDonald Trump and barred them, accusing them of supporting a boycott againstIsrael. Shortly after that, the Israelis partially reversed course and offeredTlaib alone permission to visit her grandmother if she accepted restrictionsand promised not to promote the boycott.
Speaking togetherin Omar's hometown of St Paul, Minnesota in their first public appearance sincethe trip's cancellation, Tlaib and Omar accused Israel of bowing to Trump andtrying to hide the reality of the Palestinian situation. Tlaib pointed out thatit is common for US lawmakers to visit Israel and meet a wide range ofactivists.
"What is notcommon occurrence is members of Congress being barred from entering a countryon these fact-finding missions unless they agree to strict set of rules,"she said. "It is unfortunate that Prime Minister Netanyahu is apparentlytaking a page out of Trump's book, and even direction from Trump, to deny thisopportunity," she said.
Omar called thedecision to ban the two of them "nothing less than an attempt by an allyof the United States to suppress our ability to do our jobs as electedofficials." Referring to the $3 billion in aid the US gives to Israel eachyear, Omar said, "this is predicated on their being an important ally inthe region and the only democracy in the Middle East. But denying visit to dulyelected members of Congress is not consistent with being an ally." Sheblasted Trump for using the visit as a political cudgel against them and theDemocrats. "We know Donald Trump would love nothing more than to use thisissue to pit Muslims and Jewish Americans against each other," Omar said.- AFP