Written by, High School Intern – Eli Yissar of Ulpanat Orot High School, Toronto
“Anything you say can and will be used against you.” This is a statement often associated with
police and criminals – police being those who have the responsibility to inform any person in
custody of their rights. Unfortunately, the same rationale must apply when speaking with
someone who is vocally antisemitic, because, in an extraordinary way, these misinformed people
have the gift of flipping and twisting facts around to match their ignorant views. Sadly, no
anti-Semite openly admits to the fact that no matter the circumstance, Jews will always be the
villains in their stories.
A recurring theme in the news, that has been very often debated within the Jewish community in
the past few months, is Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar’s negative view on Israel and, more
specifically, their recent restriction to entering Israel.
As the first ever Muslim women elected to Congress in the United States, these congresswomen
have the opportunity to make history. However, it is disappointing to see that the two seem to be
more interested in bashing Israel than building up the country they are meant to be serving.
Aside from being avid supporters of the BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) campaign against
Israel, Tlaib and Omar have also been caught supporting Carlos Latuff, an antisemitic artist, on
their respective social media platforms. The two of them posted a cartoon he drew, where Prime
Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu and President Donald Trump are covering Ilhan Omar and
Rashida Tlaib’s mouths, in order to stop them from speaking. Tlaib also spoke about her
endorsement for a one state solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict, in which all Israeli territory
would be given over to the Palastanians.
The two congresswomen planned on flying to Israel in late August for a trip called, “Delegation
to Palestine,” but were denied entry to the country by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. This
has been a valid legal action since 2017, under the Entry Into Israel Law, which states that Israel
is allowed to bar entry to any foreigner who publicly calls for the boycott of Israel. Still, many
publicly criticized Israel for making this decision, arguing that denying entry to two American
congresswoman was preventing elected officials from doing their jobs. Others argued that if
Israel truly has nothing to hide, then there should be no problem in letting Omar and Tlaib come
to that conclusion on their own. But is that worth the risk? The risk that Omar and Tlaib would
only talk to specifically biased people, reinforcing their anti-Israel beliefs, and then validate their
arguments by saying that they had actually been to the country? Tlaib and Omar were not
planning to visit Israel in search for the objective truth; their goal was to further their own
antisemitic views, so why should they have been allowed into the country for this purpose? Have
they not done a good enough job spreading their lies in the United States? As long as they do not
plan on searching for the truth, there is no reason for them to come to Israel.
After being denied entry into Israel, Ilhan Omar said in a news conference, “So 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…” If nothing else, this quote
proves that these two congresswomen are not truly searching for peace. The fact that she has
emphasized the need for others to do only the things she was going to do confirms this. Ilhan
Omar and Rashida Tlaib do not want the truth, they simply want to further publicize their false
narrative about Israel Had they come to Israel, the two would have succeeded in this endeavour.
Here is a question: if it is acceptable for Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar to boycott Israel, what is
it that makes it unacceptable for Israel to boycott them?
