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15 August 2019As an international case, Israel's decision to ban the two democratic deputies of the US Congress, Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar, entered the country. A spokesman for the Deputy Foreign Minister, Tzipi Hotovely, announced this at CNN. The spokesman did not specify when the decision was made or who made the final decision, but the announcement comes shortly after the US president, Donald Trump, declared that Israel would show "great weakness" by allowing them to enter the country.Omar: "It's an affront"
"It is an affront that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, under pressure from President Trump, would deny entry to US government representatives." The US Democratic deputy Ilhan Omar writes it on twitter, replying to Israel's refusal to enter the country for her and for her colleague Rashida Tlaib.
It is an Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, under pressure from President Trump, he deny entry to the US government.
My full statement: pic.twitter.com/v00ESmehXT
Netanyahu: "They just wanted to hurt Israel"
For his part, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defends the decision not to grant entry visas to the two democratic deputies. "There is no country in the world that respects the United States and the American Congress more than Israel," Netanyahu said in a statement. "However - he added - the itinerary indicated that the only intention of the two deputies was to damage Israel". The Prime Minister then stated that Tlaib could be granted permission on a humanitarian basis to visit his relatives in the West Bank.
"The law of Israel prohibits entry to those who ask or work to impose a boycott of Israel," Netanyahu said, claiming that neither of the two US Democratic deputies had requested meetings with official Israeli representatives. Tlaib's humanitarian request to visit his relatives in the West Bank, the Israeli prime minister said, could only be granted if the deputy "pledges not to promote the boycott against Israel".