NEW YORK (VINnews) — Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar announced Wednesday that she plans to boycott President Yitzchak Herzog’s address to a joint session of the US Congress next week, citing a number of reasons, including the fact that Israel has denied Rep. Rashida Tlaib the opportunity to see her grandmother.
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Omar also mentioned that Herzog represents “Israel’s most right wing government in Israel’s history, at a time when the government is openly promising to “crush” Palestinian hopes of statehood—essentially putting a nail in the coffin of peace and a two-state solution.” The goal of “crushing” Palestinian political aspirations was mentioned by Netanyahu in a recent speech.
Herzog is slated to give the speech, marking Israel’s 75th anniversary, on Wednesday after receiving an invitation last year by then-House speaker Nancy Pelosi, which current Speaker Kevin McCarthy reissued earlier this year. Despite his disassociation with the judicial reforms and attempts to moderate between the sides, Herzog is still viewed as part of the Israeli establishment.
“We should not be inviting the president of Israel — a government who under its current prime minister barred the first two Muslim women elected to Congress from visiting the country — to give a joint address to Congress,” Omar tweeted.
Omar and Tlaib were barred entry in 2019 over their previous support of the anti-Israel Boycott Divestment and Sanctions movement and over the Israeli assumption that they would use their visit to advance their boycott activism. Netanyahu’s decision was encouraged by then-US president Donald Trump, a Republican.
Omar added that the visit “Comes as extreme right-wing Israeli cabinet members directly attack President Biden, saying Israel is ‘no longer a star’ on the US flag,” referring to a remark made by National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir after Biden called Netanyahu’s cabinet “one of the most extreme” he has ever seen.
“It also comes as the Israeli government is pushing through what legal experts describe as a judicial coup to centralize power and undermine checks on their power, prompting months of mass demonstrations against the government throughout Israel,” Omar continued, referring to the Netanyahu government’s efforts at judicial reform.
“And above all, it comes during the deadliest year for Palestinians in the West Bank in history, immediately following Israel’s largest incursion into the occupied West Bank in two decades, one that flattened city blocks, and killed at least a dozen people,” she said.
The Israeli military has said that all of those killed in the House and Garden operation in Jenin were believed to have been combatants.
Still, Omar maintained that “human rights groups, legal experts, and most of the international community has condemned the increasing violations of international law and human rights. These are all deeply concerning trends—especially considering the fact that we provide Israel with nearly $4 billion in annual military aid.”
She went on to recall that the last time an Israeli leader was invited to give a joint address to Congress, it was Netanyahu in 2015 and it was done in defiance of then-president Barack Obama in order to lobby against the Iran nuclear deal that the latter had negotiated.
Omar pointed out that just last month she boycotted the joint address given by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi “based on his government’s human rights record” and she would be taking the same step next week as well.
“The United States can and should use its diplomatic tools to engage with the Israeli government, but giving the current government the honor of a joint televised address sends the absolute wrong signal at the wrong time,” Omar concluded.
Why do should I care if this animal pertakes or not at least she knows she belongs in Hell
Thank you for not attending, Your presence only nauseates normal people.
No way in hell??
That’s an excellent place for her!
She should do that more often . Or, ” Take a long walk of a short Pier ” !!!!
Jew hating terrorist supporting כלבא, fully supported and defended by every elected Democrat from groping Joe on down.
I’ve lost a lot of sleep over her decision, as well as her meshpucha’s decision not to attend the speech.
Don’t go away mad, just go away!
How will we ever go on?
Let’s see what their own logic (a word I use loosely) leads to. It was these two who were boycotting Israel, so why should Israel put itself in the position of violating that boycott against Israel by letting them in?
But in terms of facts, while Israel had announced they would barr her from entering – meaning if she planned on generic (political) activities – the very next day Israel clarified that she was allowed to enter for specific purpose of family visit. CNN reported 17 Aug 2019 as to her response:
> Rashida Tlaib says she won’t visit Israel after being allowed to enter
So who is barring whom here? Seems she is barring herself.
Is she still legally married to her brother?
Filthy swine m….m
She’s a shtick tiniff but Herzog shouldn’t address Congress since Bibi is ignored by the Obama WH. Have somè pride, Herzog, stay home.
I contributed to her primary opponent last cycle. With a bit more money he would have won.
Yeah, sure. Look at the human rights score of the country she came from – Somalia. She is so confused, and an outright anti sémite. We need to take her down by any means.
Ilhan Omar=O Haman IRL (if you rearrange the letters)
She’s NOT NEEDED, in fact NOT WANTED, get LOST.
GOOD RIDDANCE !!!
the ONLY reason she won as did that Rashida is because AIPAC is a partisan hack organization ONLY helping Democrats and didnt want to upset that multi millionaire old speaker from san francisco so they didnt challenge them. there is a reason why the late Adelson IAC to counter the hack filled jobs mill of AIPAC who are ALL DEMOCRATS.
A Real Yid says she is tznuis and we shouldn’t mock her. he liked her tichel
instead she will attend the annual dinner of y?????