By Callie Mitchell, SAVED News International Correspondent, Jerusalem, Israel
Most all of you who follow the news probably saw Israel in your headlines much more than usual in August. By banning the entry of Representatives Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), from entering the State of Israel, our politics and yours became uniquely intertwined and loudly discussed.
For anyone unfamiliar with the events or who might have questions, I’ll gladly clarify a few things here.
Firstly, through Israel’s democratic process, a bill was passed into law in 2017 that prevents entry into the country for leaders of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement. BDS presents itself as a “non-violent” economic protest of Israel, however, the founder, Omar Barghouti, has openly called for the destruction of the Jewish State and he refuses to condemn violence as a means of achieving the Palestinian goal of statehood. On top of that, board members of various BDS organizations are actually convicted terrorist, and investigations have shown that the BDS movement funnels donations to terrorist organizations. (For more information google #TerroristsInSuits). It was the will of the Israeli people for this law to be enacted to protect Israel from international visitors who seek to harm this nation.
Next, please know that this law, Amendment 28 to the Entry into Israel Law, is in no way discriminatory against race, gender, nationality, or religion. It is strictly dealing with individuals who have known involvement with BDS organizations.
The Israeli government could have waived the law and allowed entry of these two women, given their role in the US federal government. I cannot speak to what President Trump’s involvement may have been behind the scenes (we know he tweeted) but based on our media here, I do know that most Israelis were voicing support for the government to uphold the law and not allow these women entry. After reviewing their itinerary, which was organized by a group called Miftah, their goal and agenda to promote BDS and further antisemitic propaganda about the State of Israel were clear.
Miftah is known for releasing statements in praise of suicide bombers. Their founder, Hanan Ashrawi, is a member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a recognized terrorist organization in the United States and many other nations abroad. By some accounts, the communication between these two representatives with this organization could have them in breach of US law due to the direct terrorist links. Doesn’t this story just keep getting worse and worse? And it’s still all unfolding as I write this article.
It was a courageous act for Israel to deny them entry and one I fully support. In Rev 2:20, the church of Thyatira is rebuked for tolerating Jezebel – a witchcraft spirit. This is one of those cases where I believe Israel did well to stand against manipulation in “not tolerating” their evil plans. We will likely continue to see the impact of this decision, so I encourage you all to pray for the Lord’s plans to prevail, both in Israel and the United States.
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