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Entry Isn’t a Right
There’s a great deal of outrage this week about Israel’s decision to bar two Congresswomen from entering the country. A sample of the criticism:
Joe Lieberman: Israel made a 'serious mistake' in barring Omar and Tlaib from entering country @CNN https://t.co/NpPFEW9Whh
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) August 16, 2019
Did you know that there are a dozen countries in the world – all in the Arab world – that won’t accept Israelis? Not just “problematic” Israelis or Israelis working in the government; any Israelis. Some of these countries won’t even allow entry to those who have Israeli stamps in their non-Israeli passports. Having been to Israel is justification enough for barring entry for these countries. You will, of course, never hear outrage about that, which is one of the many reasons why the tizzy over Omar and Tlaib rings hollow.
The reasoning for why Israel decided to forbid entry is evidenced plainly in the agenda for the group the Congresswomen were planning to follow:
Jason, this is not the itinerary of someone who wants to discuss anything with open arms. pic.twitter.com/I9uCkrZ38A
— AntiSuperDushIsraeli (@NotAntiSemitic) August 15, 2019
It is naive to think, as actor Jason Alexander did, that anyone’s mind would have been changed to see the beauty of the Jewish state with an itinerary like that. They were there to meet with purveyors of anti-Semitism, plain and simple.
Under the heading "Is Israel the Only Possible Homeland for Jews?", this article questioning the appropriateness of Israel as the location of a Jewish homeland was posted by Miftah, one of the sponsors of the proposed Tlaib/Omar visit to Israel:https://t.co/KX1PwrZGy1 pic.twitter.com/eMPOfhopYQ
— Jeryl Bier (@JerylBier) August 16, 2019
It’s laughable to consider the possibility that anyone in the mainstream media would have spent any time covering the true nature of those sponsoring the trip had it gone as planned, or that they wouldn’t have found other supposed Israeli “missteps” while the trip was underway. This propaganda excursion was always a no-win for the Jewish state.
Many have decried the “Trumpization” of the Israeli government’s relationship with the U.S. and the politicization of the U.S.-Israel relationship. On the first, it must be refreshing for Israel to finally stand up and say no to requests (like entry by hostile lawmakers) with the understanding that they will be supported by their ally. And to the second point, it’s again laughable to think that this was the first step in a politicization of a relationship that ebbs and flows depending on who’s in office stateside. It was political under President Obama, and it’s political under President Trump. The difference is President Trump is actually a friend to the State of Israel, which is the real problem many have with the situation as it stands.
Published in General
I don’t understand why I should care if Israel does or does not allow Tlaib and Omar on their soil. It’s their country. They get to make the rules.
BTW, anyone remember the movement to keep Trump from visiting Britain? Maybe it’s a difference of degree, but not much difference in substance.
Bethany,
This is why Joe Lieberman is much overrated. He is a product of a time when centrist liberalism was still viable. The economic policy, the social policy, and the foreign policy of the current Democratic party is radical left. Lieberman continues to close his eyes to this. He continues to want to appeal to American Jewish organizations that have the same problem. Their entire point of view is simply irrelevant because they refuse to admit that the current Democratic Party supports none of their values least of all support for Israel.
Only the ZOA and the Jewish Republican Coalition supported Netanyahu’s stance. It is time for thinking Jews to consider Joe Lieberman and all of the Jewish organizations that didn’t support Netanyahu irrelevant. Send you donations to ZOA & JRC. Let the others know that they will not be receiving any more support from you of any kind.
Regards,
Jim
I am not sure that these two issues really relate. First there is a difference between a couple members of Congress and the Chief Executive. This is kind of a lesser point.
Trump was going to be kept from visiting Britain because he is Trump and he won an election. He did not, that I am aware of, have a long history of insulting the citizens of England.
These ladies like to make anti-Semitic statements frequently enough that it should not be a huge surprise that a Jewish country would say no thanks.
I think this is a large difference both in degree and substance
It’s ridiculous to think Netanyahu took this action to please Trump; that may have been a bonus for him, but to admit high profile people who want your country destroyed would have been wrong. Netanyahu did the right thing.
I think the Israelis were correct.
When I was doing consulting work in Saudi Arabia in the 1980s, I was told that I would not be allowed in the country if I had an Israeli stamp in my passport. Upon request, Israel would stamp a visa on a separate paper if you would later be visiting an Arab country.
Also, Saudi Arabia would not allow Coca-Cola or Ford products (among others), because they had manufacturing facilities in Israel.
As others have said, Leftist outrage is very selective.
How often are people running to get Joe Lieberman’s opinion these days? I imagine someone in the CNN newsroom going, “Find a Jew who agrees with us.”
But these are American citizens, not citizens of an Arab country. If you hold a US passport you will be allowed into any Arab nation, even if you are Jewish.
That being said, we here may see it as a mistake, but what matters is how does Israel see it? Did the risk of some violent event on Temple Mount, where there is ongoing violence, out-weigh the diplomatic protocols?
I personally wish they had been allowed in.
And a whole host of Muslim countries routinely ban Israeli Jews from entering their country.
I’m not challenging you, but I’m curious to know your reason(s), @billnelson.
It is entirely Israel’s decision. Tlaib and Omar are clearly anti-semitic and try to foment trouble against Jews and Israel almost everywhere they go, so it should be perfectly understandable and not even a controversy why Israel choose not to let them in their country. Just because they are American citizens does not give them the right of access to Israel.
Foremost, I want Israel to always show it is an open and liberal democracy. This arms their critics.
On a personal level, I was curious to see how these two would react to the facts on the ground that are Israel. Israel is the one nation in the middle east where Muslims really do have rights. Can these people grow and learn?
And if it did turn into riots an tear gas, that makes good TV.
I’m quite convinced, particularly with these two, that they wouldn’t allow themselves to be in situations where they could learn information that contradicts their narrative. It sounded like they most recently had set up their own itinerary, and I suspect it was “enlightenment-free.”
I can appreciate your wanting to show their democracy side to the world; it’s important. On the other hand, does anyone really care? Israel is usually characterized as a repressive, bigoted, hateful country by many around the world. There’s that ol’ confirmation bias, which we all have.
My initial reaction was to disapprove of this action by Israel, though without very strong feeling. I recall disapproving (again, mildly) when Britain excluded conservatives on something like “hate speech” grounds. (I think it was Laura Southern that I was remembering.)
My mind was changed by Susan Quinn’s post (here) explaining that Israel made this decision under a law prohibiting entry to people who advocate boycotting Israel. This sounds quite reasonable to me, and I believe that both Tlaib and Omar support BDS (Boycott-Divest-Sanctions).
Thanks, Susan.
Thank you, @arizonapatriot (Jerry). I’m so grateful when something I say makes a difference–and when I’m given that feedback!
In case there was any doubt…
The original organizer for the trip was the Humpty Dumpty Institute, run by Mark Epstein. Mark cancelled his participation after his brother committed suicide in order to sit shiva.
The second organizer was Miftah, about which David French has written an article. Their website spreads blood libels and lionizes suicide bombers.
If the controversy involved any country other than Israel, these types of associates would be a huge scandal.
The itinerary was so bad that it didn’t even include a visit to the Yad Vashem Holocaust museum. If there had even been that minor a concession, I would have felt quite differently about the issues. But then I suspect, so would the Israeli government.
I’m so, so glad that we have a good relationship with Israel again. And I’m proud of Trump for actually following through on his word and moving the embassy to Jerusalem, as other presidents promised to do and never did.