Israel allows Rashida Tlaib to visit relatives in occupied West Bank on ‘humanitarian grounds’ after banning entry to Israel for official trip

‘It’s a huge pity that they have allowed Ms Tlaib in alone with obligations and restrictions. It is the ultimate sign of the repression many suffer here’

US congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (Reuters)

Israel has granted US congresswoman Rashida Tlaib permission to visit her Palestinian family in the occupied West Bank on humanitarian grounds, after barring an official visit via Israel amid pressure from Donald Trump.

On Thursday the Israeli interior ministry said it would not permit Ms Tlaib or fellow Democratic representative Ilhan Omar to enter Israel, citing their alleged “boycott activities”.

Just hours before the official decision, Mr Trump had tweeted it would show “great weakness” if Israel permitted the pair to visit the country, suggesting that they “hate Israel & all Jewish people”.

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu supported the ban, claiming Ms Tlaib’s and Ms Omar’s itinerary “reveals that the sole purpose of their visit is to harm Israel and increase incitement against it”.

However, Mr Netanyahu added that if Ms Tlaib submitted a humanitarian request to the interior ministry, it would consider her request on the condition she “pledges not to act to promote boycotts against Israel during her visit”.

On Friday Israel’s interior minister Aryeh Deri said the authorities decided to approve the entry of Ms Tlaib for “a humanitarian visit to her 90-year-old grandmother”.

In a letter circulated by Israeli media, Ms Tlaib had requested “to visit relatives, and specifically my grandmother, who is in her nineties”, adding that it “could be my last opportunity to see her”.

“I will respect any restrictions and will not promote boycotts against Israel during my visit,” she added.

The decision to allow Ms Tlaib into Israel only on humanitarian grounds sparked uproar among Arab-Israeli parliamentarians, who said it only highlighted the “repression in Israel”.

Ahmad Tibi, leader of the Ta’al party faction, said it was “unprecedented” to ban a member of congress on “the basis of non-violent political opinion”.

“They should be both be allowed in without conditions. It’s a huge pity that they have allowed Ms Tlaib in alone with obligations and restrictions. It is the ultimate sign to Americans of the repression many suffer here,” he told The Independent.

“I think it’s a genuine translation of the policy of Netanyahu: Trump tweets and Netanyahu obeys,” he added.

Leftist Israeli MKs had previously criticised the decision to ban the two politicians, calling it “fundamentally wrong and diplomatically foolish”.

Tamar Zandberg, of the left-wing Democratic Camp party, said: “A democratic country can’t deny entry to elected officials of a friendly democracy, let alone the immense damage already caused – not only image-wise, but also to the important relations with the Democratic Party,” she said in a statement.

The decision was also criticised by powerful Pro-Israeli lobbying groups in America such as the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (Aipac), which said that while it disagreed with both of the congresswomen’s stances on Israel, “every member of congress should be able to visit and experience our democratic ally Israel firsthand”.

Dylan J Williams, senior vice-president at J Street, a Jewish-American advocacy group, called it “unprecedented” and “anti-democratic”, adding that it showed “the reckless disregard for preserving the bilateral relationship beyond their immediate personal political horizons”.

The move was, however, heralded by right-wing factions with Israel and supporters of Mr Netanyahu. David Friedman, the US ambassador to Israel, who also lauded the move, echoed the Israeli premier’s statement saying the impending trip was “an effort to fuel the [boycott] engine”.

Mr Netanyahu’s Likud Party declined to comment to The Independent, saying the move to bar the visit was diplomatic.

The Blue and White, the party of Mr Netanyahu’s chief elections rival Benny Gantz, accused the prime minister of “zigzagging” on his decision to bar the congresswomen access to Israel and said the ban would only “fuels the BDS movement”.

He said it worked “against [Israel’s] national interests” and the decision to grant Mrs Tlaib entry on humanitarian grounds was the right step to lessen the tensions in Israel US relations.

Ms Tlaib and Ms Omar had planned to visit Jerusalem and several West Bank cities, including occupied Hebron and Bethlehem, from this weekend. They were both due to fly into Tel Aviv.

According to a document leaked by Israeli press, they were not planning on visiting any sites in Israel and instead were due to meet rights groups and United Nations bodies in the Palestinian territories.

Mr Netanyahu had slammed the trip, saying that it was coordinated by the Palestinian organisation Miftah, which backs the boycott of Israel.

Both lawmakers are known as supporters of Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS), a Palestinian-led global movement.

Israel alleges that BDS targets the state’s very existence, while the movement’s supporters say it is intended as leverage to end more than half a century of Israeli military rule over Palestinians.

It had been previously reported that Mr Trump had told advisers he believed Israel should enforce its 2017 law that allows individuals to be denied entry into the country if they have supported boycotting Israel.

Mr Trump later defended Israel’s decision to bar the visit, adding he didn’t “encourage or discourage” the move.