On the Controversy Surrounding Rashida Tlaib’s and Ilhan Omar’s Denial of Entry to Israel

Israel has recently denied entry to two US Congresswomen - Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar who, together with two other Congresswomen, Alexandria Ocasio Cortez and Ayanna Pressley, have been bashing Israel and American Jews at every opportunity, expressing conventional antisemitic and anti-Israel tropes, while backing and reinforcing BDS. They have infected the Democratic party with their venom and employed their gender and minority status (Muslims, Black, Hispanic) as a shield against criticism.
Anyone who disagreed with their uninformed, dimwitted, biased and ignorant views has been labeled a racist, a label that the extreme and even less than extreme Left, as well as Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the US House of Representatives, together with a vast majority of the media, loved to embrace and celebrate. And since, in the age of “me too”, a person, once accused of misconduct, is considered guilty before being proved innocent, most people are reluctant to challenge the antisemitic “Squad” comprising these four racist women, because most people try to refrain from being accused of racism, even though the accusation may have no merit.
It was made very clear by way of these two Congresswomen’s proposed agenda what was behind the visit to Israel and the West Bank. They intended to go to the Palestinian population centers in the West Bank and promote a “suffering” image of the Palestinian people with the help of the media who would follow their every step and devour the red meat these two would disseminate. It would have brought about a negative perspective of distorted reality and cause a great deal of damage to Israel’s image in the eyes of the uninformed public. Denying this opportunity was wise and mandatory.
As it turned out later, Israel was able to expose Rashida Tlaib’s true intentions for all to see by lifting the restriction on her entry to the state, allowing her to come and visit with her grandmother, only to be rebuffed by Mrs. Rashida, who declined Israel’s open arms, justifying her latest decision by means of a hate speech against Israel.
It should be noted that these two antisemitic squad members had been invited a short time earlier to visit Israel and the West Bank together with a delegation of US dignitaries including senators and House Members. They declined that invitation because the agenda was not to their liking. Apparently, the opportunity to demonize Israel with no pushback or interference was lacking. They wanted to go solo; they wanted more freedom for broadcasting their toxic message without a challenge backed by reality.
Still, many supporters of Israel including AIPAC (America-Israel Public Affairs Committee) were disappointed with the Israeli government’s decision. They wanted the Jewish State to maintain the democratic semblance of the Israeli system; they perceived the visit’s denial as a biting inconsistency contrasting Israel’s democratic values. They voiced their opinion in an attempt to change the Israeli government’s decision.
But wait a minute. These same people never objected when the US was doing the same or worse when it came to the US own interests. No intelligent person found it appropriate to accuse the US of being undemocratic in consequence. The US has recently sanctioned the foreign minister of Iran, Mohammad Javad Zarif. (Those who dislike President Trump may blame him rather than the US for this specific sanctioning, claiming that Trump does not represent the US. It’s a ridiculous claim but it could very well be argued by his opponents), but then, President Obama sanctioned over 400 individuals from Russia, Crimea, Ukraine following the Russian takeover of the Crimean Peninsula. The US has sanctioned many prominent individuals from many parts of the world to protect its own National Security. Did AIPAC accuse the US of being undemocratic as a result? (Note that sanctioning goes way, way beyond denial of entry). Why then, Israel, in trying to protect its National Security (protecting a national semblance is important to preserving national security)—by refusing to bend over to BDS representatives and help them accomplish the spreading of their spite—why then is the Jewish State viewed as if it exhibits an undemocratic conduct in denying entry to its crooked enemies? Standing up to your enemy and refusing to be rolled over is not undemocratic when the US is doing it. That same standard should be applied to Israel as well. By standing up to Its enemies israel demonstrated bravery in the face of all these naïve critics.
Enemies of Israel should be treated as enemies regardless of whether they comprise kings, queens, presidents, government ministers or even US Congressmen or Congresswomen. Their hostile actions should not be facilitated by the Israeli government. On the contrary, they should be fought back on every single front, whether it is their home turf or especially inside the Jewish State where Israel maintains its homecourt advantage.
These anti-Semites must be defeated.