Trump Says Israel Shouldn’t Let Omar, Tlaib Into Country: ‘They Hate Jewish People’

President Donald Trump speaks to the press on the South Lawn of the White House before departing in Washington on Aug. 9, 2019. Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images

President Donald Trump said that Israel shouldn’t let Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) into the country, alleging “they hate Israel and all Jewish people, as a report indicated that officials have barred them from entering Israel.

Omar and Tlaib, the only Muslim members of Congress, have repeatedly indicated disdain for Israel—saying the country is “occupying” Palestine—and support the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement aimed at cutting off money for the majority Jewish nation.

“It would show great weakness if Israel allowed Rep. Omar and Rep. Tlaib to visit,” Trump wrote on Twitter on Aug. 15.

“They hate Israel & all Jewish people, & there is nothing that can be said or done to change their minds.”

The president’s comments came after Israeli officials confirmed they decided to bar the Congresswomen from entering Israel.

Israeli officials cited the lawmakers’ support of the BDS movement.  A 2017 law allows Israel to bar any foreigners who “knowingly issues a public call for boycotting Israel.”

Omar and Tlaib have repeatedly denigrated the Israeli nation and government, accusing it of repressing non-Jews, and Omar, in particular, has made a number of statements widely condemned as antisemitic, including by Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.).

Statements made by Omar, Tlaib, and close allies Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.)—collectively known as the “Squad”—drew the ire of Trump last month, when he said the women should apologize for criticizing America.

Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) speak at a press conference at the U.S. Capitol on July 15, 2019. Holly Kellum/NTD

Trump repeatedly assailed the lawmakers, saying at a White House event in mid-July about Omar: “Somebody that comes from Somalia, which is a failed government, a failed state, who left Somalia, who ultimately came here and now is a congresswoman, who’s never happy. [Omar] says horrible things about Israel, hates Israel, hates Jews, hates Jews, it’s very simple.”

“They hate our country. They hate it, I think, with a passion. Now, it’s possible I’m wrong. The voter will decide. But when I hear the way they talk about our country, when I hear the anti-Semitic language they use, when I hear the hatred they have for Israel, and the love they have for enemies like al Qaeda—then you know what?” Trump also said during the event.

On Thursday, Trump said he thinks Omar and Tlaib will struggle to get re-elected in 2020.

“Minnesota and Michigan will have a hard time putting them back in office. They are a disgrace!” he wrote.

Army veteran and longtime police officer Chris Kelley has announced his bid for Rep. Ilhan Omar's seat in Minnesota. Chris Kelley Campaign

Both representatives are facing challenges.

Chris Kelley, an independent Army veteran, told The Epoch Times that he was motivated to run after Omar referred to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks as “some people did something.”

“It was a slap in the face to the people that lost their lives there and the first responders in general,” Kelley said.

“She’s really not doing anything for her district. She seems to be doing a lot of self-promotion,” he added. “You know, realistically, our representatives are servants of the people and that should be their primary goal.”