US President Donald Trump has reportedly told senior White House aides that Israel should deny US Representatives Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) entry into the country.
Citing three people with direct knowledge of the discussions, news and information website Axios reported on Saturday that Trump believes the two lawmakers should be barred from entering Israel based on their outspoken support for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement.
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Trump's view on the matter has possibly reached Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but White House officials have been quick to deny that the president has exerted influence or pressure on Netanyahu.
"The Israeli government can do what they want. It's fake news," White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham said on Saturday.
A law passed in 2017 allows Israel's Interior Ministry to bar any foreign national entry into the country if they have supported boycotting the Jewish state.
Last month, the two congresswomen announced that they would be taking an official trip to both Israel and the Palestinian territories at the end of August, immediately sparking questions over how Jerusalem will handle the situation.
Israeli Ambassador to the US Ron Dermer later clarified the issue by releasing a statement saying: "Out of respect for the US Congress and the great alliance between Israel and America, we would not deny entry to any member of Congress into Israel."
But according to Axios, Trump has grumbled over Dermer's decision to let controversial lawmakers in, reportedly telling top aides that if Omar and Tlaib want to boycott Israel, "then Israel should boycott them."
Both congresswomen are tentatively due to be in the region on August 18, but their schedules are subject to change. Israeli officials are currently holding talks over how to react to any anti-Israeli statements by Omar and Tlaib during the trip, according to Axios. Regardless, their trip is not expected to overlap with two much larger delegations of US representatives that are currently in the country, organized by the American Israel Education Foundation, a charitable organization affiliated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.
Trump's reported reaction comes only days after the US House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved House Resolution 246 opposing BDS, "including efforts to target United States companies that are engaged in commercial activities that are legal under United States law, and all efforts to delegitimize the State of Israel."
Some 350 legislators co-sponsored the resolution, 175 from each party. Ultimately, 398 members supported the resolution, with 17 voting against it, 16 of them from the Democrats – including Tlaib and Omar.
This article was originally published by i24NEWS.
