U.S. Congresswomen:
Go to Occupied Territories, See Cruel Reality of Occupation
WASHINGTON (Dispatches) – Democratic U.S. Congresswomen Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib have sharply criticized the Zionist regime for denying them entry to the occupied territories and called on fellow members of Congress to visit while they cannot.
Omar, of Minnesota, suggested President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were suppressing the congresswomen's ability to carry out their oversight role, Al Jazeera reported.
"I would encourage my colleagues to visit, meet with the people we were going to meet with, see the things we were going to see, hear the stories we were going to hear," Omar said at a news conference, adding, "We cannot let Trump and Netanyahu succeed in hiding the cruel reality of the occupation from us."
At Trump's urging, the Zionist regime denied entry to Congress's first two Muslim women over their support for the Palestinian-led boycott movement.
Tlaib and Omar, who had planned to visit al-Quds and the Israeli-occupied West Bank on a tour organized by a Palestinian group, are outspoken critics of the Zionist regime’s treatment of the Palestinians.
Tlaib, of Michigan, and Omar were joined by Minnesota residents who said they had been directly affected by travel restrictions in the past. They included Lana Barkawi, a Palestinian American who's executive and artistic director of Mizna, a cultural group that sponsors the annual Twin Cities Arab Film Festival.
The U.S. government denied visas to several actors and directors who had been invited to participate last year.
White House Spokesman Hogan Gidley kept up the administration's criticism of the two politicians.
Before the regime’s decision, Trump tweeted it would be a "show of weakness" to allow the two representatives in. the Zionist regime controls entry and exit to the occupied West Bank.
Trump's request to a foreign country to bar the entry of elected U.S. officials - and the regime’s decision to do so - were unprecedented and drew widespread criticism, including from many Israelis as well as staunch supporters of Israel in Congress. Critics noted that Netanyahu's decision was a reckless gamble.
Tlaib and Omar support "boycott, divestment and sanctions", or BDS, a Palestinian-led global movement. Supporters say the movement is a nonviolent way of protesting the Zionist regime’s military rule over the occupied territories, but the occupying regime says it aims to delegitimize the "state” and eventually wipe it off the map.
A file photo of U.S. Muslim congresswomen Rashida Tlaib (L) and Ilhan Omar
Omar, of Minnesota, suggested President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were suppressing the congresswomen's ability to carry out their oversight role, Al Jazeera reported.
"I would encourage my colleagues to visit, meet with the people we were going to meet with, see the things we were going to see, hear the stories we were going to hear," Omar said at a news conference, adding, "We cannot let Trump and Netanyahu succeed in hiding the cruel reality of the occupation from us."
At Trump's urging, the Zionist regime denied entry to Congress's first two Muslim women over their support for the Palestinian-led boycott movement.
Tlaib and Omar, who had planned to visit al-Quds and the Israeli-occupied West Bank on a tour organized by a Palestinian group, are outspoken critics of the Zionist regime’s treatment of the Palestinians.
Tlaib, of Michigan, and Omar were joined by Minnesota residents who said they had been directly affected by travel restrictions in the past. They included Lana Barkawi, a Palestinian American who's executive and artistic director of Mizna, a cultural group that sponsors the annual Twin Cities Arab Film Festival.
The U.S. government denied visas to several actors and directors who had been invited to participate last year.
White House Spokesman Hogan Gidley kept up the administration's criticism of the two politicians.
Before the regime’s decision, Trump tweeted it would be a "show of weakness" to allow the two representatives in. the Zionist regime controls entry and exit to the occupied West Bank.
Trump's request to a foreign country to bar the entry of elected U.S. officials - and the regime’s decision to do so - were unprecedented and drew widespread criticism, including from many Israelis as well as staunch supporters of Israel in Congress. Critics noted that Netanyahu's decision was a reckless gamble.
Tlaib and Omar support "boycott, divestment and sanctions", or BDS, a Palestinian-led global movement. Supporters say the movement is a nonviolent way of protesting the Zionist regime’s military rule over the occupied territories, but the occupying regime says it aims to delegitimize the "state” and eventually wipe it off the map.
A file photo of U.S. Muslim congresswomen Rashida Tlaib (L) and Ilhan Omar