Donald Trump defends Israel following Omar-Tlaib debacle
House Democrats are reportedly considering taking action against Israeli Ambassador to the United States Ron Dermer and US Ambassador to Jerusalem David Friedman.
By OMRI NAHMIASU.S. President Donald Trump, U.S. Congresswomen Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are seen in a combination from file photos(photo credit: REUTERS)
US President Donald Trump responded Sunday to reports indicating that the House Democrats are considering issuing a no-confidence statement regarding Israeli Ambassador to the United States Ron Dermer. "House Democrats want to take action against Israel because it is fighting back against two (maybe four) people that have said unthinkably bad things about it and the Israeli people," the president tweeted. "Dems have such disdain for Israel! What happened? AOC Plus 4 is the new face of the Democrat Party!" he added. On Friday night, American news outlet McClatchy reported that some Senior Democratic members of Congress were considering taking action against Dermer and the US Ambassador to Jerusalem David Friedman.On Thursday, Israel announced that it would not allow US Congresswomen Ilhan Omar (D-Minnesota) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Michigan) into the country because of their vocal BDS advocacy. According to the report, a dozen House members have been discussing whether to issue a statement of no-confidence against Dermer and to open an inspector general investigation into Friedman's conduct.
In July, Dermer announced that "out of respect for the US Congress and the great alliance between Israel and America," Israel would not prevent any member of Congress from visiting the country. Israel backtracked on its willingness to let the congresswomen in on Thursday, soon after a tweet from Trump encouraging Israel to deny them entry. Prime Minister Netanyahu said the change of heart was due to a review of the Congresswomen's itinerary. According to Netanyahu, the itinerary proved that the sole purpose of their visit was to bolster the boycott against Israel and to deny the country's legitimacy without even meeting any of the nation's leaders. On Thursday night, Tlaib sent a letter to the Israeli Minister of Interior Aryeh Deri asking for permission to enter Israel on humanitarian grounds. "I would like to request admittance to Israel in order to visit my relatives, and specifically my grandmother, who is in her 90s and lives in Beit Ur al-Fouqa," Tlaib wrote in the letter, which became public on Friday morning. "This could be my last opportunity to see her," the Congresswoman added. "I will respect any restrictions and will not promote boycotts against Israel during my visit." However, after a 24-hours saga, Tlaib announced that she would not travel to Israel. The Congresswoman from the radical wing of the Democratic Party cited "oppressive conditions" by the Israeli government. In response, Deri tweeted: "I approved her request as a gesture of goodwill on a humanitarian basis, but it was just a provocative request, aimed at bashing the State of Israel. Apparently, her hate for Israel overcomes her love for her grandmother." Trump also slammed the Congresswoman and tweeted that "the only real winner here is Tlaib's grandmother. She doesn't have to see her now!" "[She] wrote a letter to Israeli officials desperately wanting to visit her grandmother. Permission was quickly granted, whereupon Tlaib obnoxiously turned the approval down, a complete setup," the president added.
