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| Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar (Forward) |
“Out of respect for the US Congress and the great alliance between Israel and America, we would not deny entry to any member of Congress into Israel”
But that was before the President expressed disappointment about Israel’s decision to let them in. Apparently Israel is reconsidering it.
I personally don’t think is it unreasonable to bar entry to people whose goal it is to destroy the country. Despite protestations to the contrary that is really what BDS is all about. Although I’m sure that a lot of people ‘buy’ their argument that this is all about ‘illegal settlements’; or mistreating Palestinians; or starving Gazans; or shooting innocent Palestinian protesters... most of congress realizes the truth which is why the House voted 398 to 17 to condemn the movement!
What about free speech which is one of Israel’s tenets? As is the case in the US, free speech does not entail yelling ‘Fire’ in a crowded theater (when there is no fire). Fomenting rebellion by supporting BDS in a country under siege for the entirety of its over 70 years of existence might qualify as that. So I am not all that uncomfortable with Israel disallowing people who will do that. Can anyone imagine the NAACP allowing David Duke entry into their camp?
On the other hand consider the following. These two members of congress have received worldwide attention far beyond their actual importance as legislators or that of any freshman congressman. Much of it sympathetic because of the President’s perceived racist comments about them. Israel therefore has an opportunity to show the world just how democratic it really is by allowing Tlaib and Omar in - and allowing them to spew their hatred of Israel to their heart’s content as a demonstration of its democratic principles.
The more I think about it, the less of a downside I see. What can they possibly say that will make Palestinian leaders and their sympathizers worldwide hate Israel any more than they already do? I would be willing to bet that whatever they will say has already been said in spades by countless numbers of Israel bashers - both recently and over the years. What can they say that will make members of the UN think that Israel is anymore of an ‘Apartheid State’ than they already declare it to be?
Imagine the sight of these two congresswomen being given the ‘royal’ treatment and welcomed as US members of congress from a country that has supported Israel since its very beginnings. And never more than it does now.
Israel will have many assorted opportunities to show these two women what Israel is really all about. And that calling them Apartheid State is the furthest thing from the truth. They can speak to Israeli Arabs legislators and to private Arab Israeli citizens that are prospering there. They might even find a few Palestinians that might admit privately that things are not as bad for them as the world media portrays it to be. (If they have the courage to defy the false Palestinian narrative that things actually are that bad or worse.)
That said, I am not getting my hopes up that any of this will change the minds of Tlaib and Omar. Once they are done with Israel’s positive PR tour and on the West Bank or in Gaza, I’m sure their hateful narrative will rival that of the Palestinian leadership and even Hamas in its anti Israel venom. But that will not erase the media coverage of Israel’s good side – even by a media biased against it. Or not - if they choose to ignore it and broadcast only the negative side. On the other hand there are some parts of the media that are not as biased and might actually broadcast the positive side, too.
That is why I have mixed feelings about it. On the one hand, the positive scenario I painted might happen. On the other hand it may be the worst bashing Israel has ever had by American officials that will be covered worldwide by a media unsympathetic to Israel while ignoring anything positive.
Now that Israel has basically gotten scolded by the President for allowing these two antisemites into their country, Israel is having second thoughts. (It is almost as though the President is more pro Israel than Israel’s own leadership.)
Israel now has ‘cover’ to enforce its anti BDS laws. There will be no diplomatic repercussions to rejecting them. Only negative media repercussions. On the other hand this might be a great PR opportunity. Or Israel’s worst nightmare.
Who knows? (Not me.)