After being granted entry by Israel to visit grandmother, Tlaib cancels West Bank trip
After rejecting entry to Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) and fellow congresswoman Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) on Thursday due to their support for the anti-Israel BDS movement, Israel’s Interior Minister, Aryeh Deri suddenly approved on Friday a request by Tlaib to visit her elderly grandmother in the West Bank on humanitarian grounds.
Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.). Credit: YouTube.
Nonetheless, Tlaib cancelled a planned visit to the West Bank due to what she called Israel’s “oppressive conditions.”
“Silencing me & treating me like a criminal is not what she wants for me. 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,” she tweeted.
In a letter to Deri, Tlaib wrote that “This could be my last opportunity to see her,” referring to the freshman congresswoman’s grandmother, who is in her 90s. “I will respect any restrictions, and I will not promote any boycotts against Israel during my visit.”
Tlaib was expected to visit between Aug. 18-24.
JNS
“Israel’s Interior Minister, Aryeh Deri suddenly approved on Friday a request by Tlaib to visit her elderly grandmother in the West Bank on humanitarian grounds.
What a disgrace using her grandmother as a political tool.
Shame on her.
Tlaib’s refusal to visit her grandmother is a variant of Golda Meier’s observation that the Arabs will make peace when the love for their children exceeds that of their hate for Jews.
Tlaib’s commitment to BDS (and her gutlessness to withstand “Palestinian” criticism for accepting conditions set for her visit) exceeds her love for her grandmother.
If I had a grandmother whom I might never again see alive, I would happily keep my mouth shut to give her a final kiss. But then again, I am a Jew.