The US congresswomen and Israel critics had planned a tour of the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem this weekend

The Israeli government has barred US congresswomen Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar from entering occupied Palestinian territories this weekend, Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely said in a statement on Thursday.

Hotovely's confirmation came hours after prominent Israeli journalist Dana Weiss tweeted that the government had decided to ban the two lawmakers over their "suspected provocations and promotion of BDS".

Before the Israeli government confirmed the decision, US President Donald Trump tweeted in support of barring entry to the two representatives from his own country.

Israeli law permits banning supporters of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement from entering the country.

Both Tlaib and Omar have been vocal proponents of the movement, which seeks to pressure Israel to end its human rights abuses against Palestinians, leading to a backlash by pro-Israel lobby groups. 

Earlier on Thursday, officials told Haaretz newspaper that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had discussed the visit on Wednesday with several ministers, but had yet to make a decision.

One senior official told the Israeli newspaper that Netanyahu may allow Tlaib to enter in order to visit her family members who live in the West Bank. 

Reuters news agency reported on Thursday that Netanyahu said Israel would consider letting Tlaib visit her family on humanitarian grounds if she submits such a request.

Tlaib and Omar had been planning to tour the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem in a visit set to begin over the weekend.

The trip, according to the Washington Post, was organised by the American NGO Miftah, whose chair is Palestinian lawmaker and activist Hanan Ashrawi.

The tour, according to Israeli diplomatic sources that spoke to local reporters, was to include a visit to Al-Aqsa compound, a holy site for both Muslims and Jews, which has witnessed violent clashes over the past week.

'Entirely predictable'

Democratic members of Congress along with some US-based, pro-Israel groups have voiced their concern over the prospect that Israel would ban sitting US lawmakers from entering the country, the Washington Post reported.

Last month, Israel's ambassador to Washington Ron Dermer said that he believed Israel would not deny entry to any US lawmakers "out of respect for the US Congress and the great alliance between Israel and America".

But Yousef Munayyer, executive director of the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights, said barring Tlaib and Omar from entering the country was outrageous "but also entirely predictable".

"Israel has been discriminating against US citizens-especially Palestinian Americans- for a long time. Now they are even doing this to our ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES," Munayyer wrote on Twitter on Thursday.

"In truth, Israel's racist discrimination against Palestinians isn't new and Palestinians are constantly denied return to and freedom of movement in their homeland. But this episode underscores extent of Congress' complicity in enabling racism now targeting their own colleagues," he added.

 

Tlaib, 43, was born in the US, but her grandmother and extended family live in the Palestinian village of Beit Ur al-Fauqa in the West Bank.

Somali-born Omar, 37, has been an outspoken critic of the criminalisation of the BDS movement. 

 

Source: Middle East Eye