MEDIA RELEASES
AIJAC statement on Israel’s decision to refuse visas to US Congresswomen Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar
Aug 22, 2019 | AIJAC
Statement
“Israel had no good or easy option when two Members of Congress, both of whom have connections with antisemites and track records indicating contemptuous hostility to Israel, applied for visas. While barring members of the US Congress and potentially increasing the partisan divide over Israel in the US is never desirable, the agenda planned by Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar was not only put together by an antisemitic and extreme Palestinian organisation, but carried with it considerable risk of violent unrest. This is the context, the malevolent agendas and activities of these two individuals, that should not be lost when looking at how the sovereign democratic government of Israel had to weigh up important competing imperatives and make a difficult decision on this issue.”
Tags: Anti-Zionism, Israel, United States