Rashida Tlaib declines West Bank visit despite Israel's permission
Progressive 'Squad' member Congresswoman Tlaib cites 'oppressive conditions'; Trey Yingst reports from Jerusalem.
President Trump suggested Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., may have tried to set up the Israeli government after she backed away from her stated intention to visit her grandmother in the Middle East nation.
"Israel was very respectful & nice to Rep. Rashida Tlaib, allowing her permission to visit her 'grandmother,'" Trump tweeted.
"As soon as she was granted permission, she grandstanded & loudly proclaimed she would not visit Israel. Could this possibly have been a setup? Israel acted appropriately!"
It's unclear why Trump put the word "grandmother" in quotes.
Tlaib initially asked about visiting her grandmother in the country after Israel's government denied entry to her and Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pointed to the pair's itinerary -- which stated they were visiting "Palestine" rather than "Israel" -- as evidence that they were intent on using their visit to bolster a push for a boycott of his nation.
When Tlaib initially requested the visit to her grandmother, she pledged not to "promote any boycotts against Israel." But she subsequently tweeted that visiting her grandmother under those conditions would go against her beliefs.
That prompted criticism from Interior Minister Aryeh Deri, who tweeted that Tlaib apparently hated Israel more than she loved her grandmother.
Trump has long been critical of Tlaib and several of her fellow progressive congresswomen. On Tuesday, he appeared to prompt Israel's decision to ban Tlaib and Omar, calling them out for anti-Israel sentiments.
Also on Friday, Trump tweeted that their colleague, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., was angry because Omar and Tlaib were stealing the spotlight.
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"Like it or not, Tlaib and Omar are fast becoming the face of the Democrat Party. Cortez (AOC) is fuming, not happy about this!" he tweeted.
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