August 15, 2019

We strongly condemn Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's decision to block Congresswomen Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib from visiting Israel. This move is a clear illustration of Israel's willingness to sacrifice its democratic values as part of an ongoing effort to silence critics of its occupation of Palestinian territories. Both congresswomen support the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement, so Netanyahu is effectively punishing them because of their beliefs.

The decision is also a slap in the face to Congress itself, whose members should be able to visit a country that has received tens of billions of U.S. dollars in recent decades. We call for lawmakers of both parties to stand up for their colleagues' rights to freely express their views of current Israeli policy without facing political retribution from the government of one of America's largest recipients of foreign aid.