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THERE WAS A strong reaction to the decision by Israel to deny entry into the country to two US congresswomen, Democrats Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib.
Nancy Pelosi called it “beneath the dignity of the great State of Israel” while presidential candidate Bernie Sanders called it “an outrage”.
Sanders even stated that if Israel declines entry to two elected US officials it should also “respectfully decline the billions of dollars that we give to Israel”.
Elizabeth Warren, another presidential candidate, called the decision “shameful” and “unprecedented”.
On the other side of the divide, US President Donald Trump was practically gleeful, tweeting: “Representatives Omar and Tlaib are the face of the Democrat Party, and they HATE Israel!”
Israel has today backtracked in the case of one of the women, Rashida Tlaib, who is of Palestinian origin, saying she would be allowed enter on “humanitarian” grounds.
The country’s Interior Minister Aryeh Deri decided to allow Tlaib to make a “humanitarian visit to her grandmother” in the Israeli-occupied West Bank after the lawmaker had sent him a written pledge “to respect conditions imposed by Israel”.
Trump had yesterday said Israel would “show weakness” if it allowed entry to the two congresswomen. Israel’s ex-ambassador to Washington Danny Ayalon said yesterday that his government had “rightfully decided to accept that recommendation” from Trump.
It therefore seems clear that the decision to refuse the congresswoman entry into Israel was influenced by Trump.
But how can Israel legally refuse entry to the two women?
It’s all down to a law that was passed by Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing government in 2017.
The law allows the country to block entry to any foreign person who supports an economic boycott of the country.
Similar to the ongoing debate in Ireland over the Occupied Territories Billand the push to boycott some Israeli goods, Omar and Tlaib support a simialr campaign in the US.
It it is known in the US as the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement.
Speaking about the decision yesterday, Netanyahu stated that Israel “is open to any critic and criticism, with one exception”.
Namely, he said, “people who call and act to boycott Israel”.
Israel’s 2017 law did not provoke as much international criticism as others passed by Israel in recent years, such as the law which defined Israel as a state of the Jewish people, but its backers have provoked controversy in the past.
The bill was co-sponsored by Transport Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who was also the driver behind laws allowing the appropriation of private Palestinian land for Jewish settler outposts.
Smotrich sparked anger in 2016 when he said he would not want his wife to give birth in a hospital next to Arab mothers
Defending the 2017 law, Smotrich said at the time: “Preventing B.D.S. supporters who come here to hurt us from the inside is the very least we should be doing against haters of Israel.”
Another calamity averted by the services, both staffed and voluntary, who respond promptly and efficiently at all times.
People need to put their brains in gear as well as their protective equipment, which has been instrumental in saving up to nine lives in the last two days alone.
Tramore RNLI seem to be involved quite often in these articles!
Any fish for the table salvaged!
Well done Tramore lifeboat crew, these guys are real heroes & deserve far better support from government than what they get.
Sadly it was around the same spot that a number of fisherman from the locality between Tramore and Dunmore East have also lost their lives recently and In the past by the same coastal tides around this area. None of them were ignorant of the sea nor what the consequences are but I do know that there are a lot of freak waves and swells that can have the ability to turn over / capsize a boat just after you sail / motor around Brownstown head….. This area has had a fair share of drowning/ sinkings/ capsizes and deaths so thankfully all those on board were recovered safely…..
Will they ever learn from other souls’ tragedies
And do what lillian not work and not feed their families.
They were anglers dude,not out for profit .
I don’t see anywhere in the article that error on their part was to blame?? The fact that they were wearing their life jackets possibly saved them long enough to be rescued, so what puts them at fault?
The lad who swam ashore took a big risk leaving the upturned boat. He wouldn’t have to do so if they brought some form of communication such as VHF radio or even flares. Going pooly equipped is a massive fault in itself
Accidents do happen….as the wife of the owner of the boat, I cannot thank the RNLI enough for their swift rescue and if there is a lesson for all to learn it’s that the sea is not a playground. When a tragedy occurs, the crew of the RNLI are putting their lives at risk as well. Please, I beg you all, DO NOT TAKE THE SEA FOR GRANTED. I thank GOD that I did not have to bury my husband and friends after Sundays incident,
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