Israeli Ambassador to the United States Ron Dermer announced on Friday that Israel will allow all U.S. congressional members to enter the country, including Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.).
Dermer said in a statement, “Out of respect for the U.S. Congress and the great alliance between Israel and America, we would not deny entry to any member of Congress into Israel.”
Omar said on July 17 that she and Tlaib will be visiting Israel and the Palestinian territories sometime in the next few weeks. Omar and Tlaib are both avowed supporters of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement; the Israeli government has a policy of barring entry to those who support BDS.
Omar introduced a resolution on July 16 that celebrated American boycotts like the Boston Tea Party and the boycott of German goods during World War II; she said that the resolution was put forward to support the BDS movement. The BDS movement praised Omar’s resolution:
The BDS movement for Palestinian rights warmly welcomes the resolution introduced by Congress members Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib and US civil rights veteran John Lewis "Affirming that all Americans have the right to participate in boycotts in pursuit of civil and human rights.” pic.twitter.com/G1ZDpRjgwd
— BDS movement (@BDSmovement) July 17, 2019
