Denied visit to Israel, US congresswomen tour Palestinian reality
The plight of two US lawmakers offers a glimpse into Israel’s 52-year control over the fate of millions of people living outside its sovereign territory and its undermining of Palestinian civilians' right to move freely throughout the territories.
After Israel’s refusal to let US Reps. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., and Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., enter the country, Tlaib submitted a request to enter on humanitarian grounds, to visit her elderly grandmother in the West Bank. Interior Minister Aryeh Deri accepted the request, but on several conditions unacceptable to the congresswoman.
Had Tlaib not gone back on her agreement to Deri's terms, the US congresswoman who has made headlines around the world would have surely been accorded VIP treatment at the airport and warmly embraced by her Palestinian grandmother.
