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Damned if you do, damned if you don't

Reader comment on item: How Trump Put Netanyahu in an Untenable Position

Submitted by Concerned humanist (United States), Aug 22, 2019 at 19:45

Dr Pipes, its a classic Islamist trap. See this detailed answer on Quora for more details (entire answer is pasted below and link included). Not affiliated with the author of this answer in any way.

Source: https://qr.ae/TWrBxV

1. Rashida Tlaib and Omar turned down an invitation to travel to Israel with 70 other congresspeople. Those representatives were going to meet with Israeli officials as well as Palestinian officials, and have a chance to see the situation there for themselves. The Democrats in the group met with Abbas (who declined to meet with the Republicans.)

2. She and Omar instead planned their own visit. Israel said they would allow it.

3. THEN the itinerary was revealed. It opened by refusing to acknowledge the existence of Israel, calling it a trip to Palestine. The trip was being financed by Miftah, an organization that supports BDS, has celebrated the murder of Israelis, and has claimed that Jews use the blood of Christian children in their Passover matzoh. Items in the itinerary suggested the purpose of the trip was to agitate against Israel. Explaining his decision to disallow the visit, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the itinerary "reveals that the sole purpose of their visit is to harm Israel and increase incitement against it." Israel has a standing law that says BDS activists can be barred from entry into the country. Under that law, permission to visit was rescinded.

4. Tlaib said she had a 90 year old grandmother in the West Bank that she wanted to visit. She said it might be her last chance to ever do so. Netanyahu said she could apply for a humanitarian visa. In the application letter, she promised not to engage in political agitation while she was there. Netanyahu immediately approved the visa.

5. She then announced she was not going to visit her 90 year old grandmother after all. Evidently it wasn't really all that important.

6. Yesterday she made a public statement claiming that Israel would not allow her to visit her grandmother, which was a bold-faced lie. (I saw that speech myself, so I can speak for this being true.) This, combined with other elements of the story, have led many to believe that the entire visit was a set-up, designed to put Israel in a damned-if-you-do-and-damned-if-you-don't position, so that Tlaib and Omar could make Netanyahu look bad no matter what he did. Why else refuse to join their fellow Democratic congresspeople when they visited?

7. Even many who supported her up until the final act of this little drama have responded with disgust to her refusal to accept the visa to visit her grandmother. As one commentator put it, "Her hatred of Israel is more powerful than her love for her family." She is still welcome to visit the West Bank for that purpose, subject to the conditions she herself offered.

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Reader comments (33) on this item

Title Commenter Date Thread
2Pipes: Tlaib offered the conditions, *not* Israel [245 words]Frumious FalafelSep 8, 2019 10:58254099
The Comment Andrew Lapin Did Not Yet Publish re Tlaib [186 words]BobbyAug 20, 2020 10:52254099
HYPOCRISY AND RACISM: Squad, Omar, Tlaib, Shakir... [119 words]MiguelJul 19, 2021 17:40254099
1How Trump Put Netanyahu in an Untenable Position [70 words]amos zotAug 25, 2019 05:38253366
2Damned if you do, damned if you don't [478 words]Concerned humanistAug 22, 2019 19:45253228
2A rare agreement with Trump [141 words]Ron ThompsonAug 19, 2019 13:06253034
4Violence [112 words]EdwardAug 18, 2019 14:02252987
3You started from a false premise [66 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
SDNAug 18, 2019 12:55252981
2BB was Right [104 words]Bill R.Aug 18, 2019 12:36252979
3Islamists in garb of lawmakers [72 words]AnilAug 18, 2019 12:21252978
Islamists in garb of lawmakers and more [107 words]PrashantAug 25, 2019 21:49252978
2It's about a war [51 words]Nan AbramsAug 18, 2019 00:40252955
1Israel's integrity not PC negotiable [102 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
Cal MillerAug 17, 2019 19:49252946
2Israel would not have been able to "control the narrative" [233 words]Anon.Aug 17, 2019 18:19252939
Being Out Played [10 words]Barry BlackAug 18, 2019 15:45252939
2I Disagree on All 5 Points! [193 words]David RyanAug 17, 2019 17:23252936
2those who fail to learn from history... [554 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
Charles MartelAug 17, 2019 16:21252933
2How Trump Put Netanyahu in an Untenable Position [62 words]Zionist MomAug 17, 2019 13:31252926
1Both Netanyahu and Pres. Trump are right [101 words]Alex BaldorAug 17, 2019 13:16252923
1Prime Minister Netanyahu pressured by President Trump [213 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
Darlene CasellaAug 17, 2019 12:03252919
1Trump is right from his point of view [33 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
BernardZAug 17, 2019 11:42252918
Oh Brother! [43 words]Barry BlackAug 17, 2019 10:29252917
2Heads: Israel's enemies win. Tails: Israel loses [248 words]DaveAug 17, 2019 10:15252916
How Trump Put Netanyahu in an Untenable Position. Tlaib was exposed. [689 words]Anne-USAAug 17, 2019 09:23252914
2Rookies in Congress, German or English supremacy? [124 words]The Eye BallAug 17, 2019 08:54252911
1Respectfully disagree [163 words]Abu AliAug 17, 2019 08:03252908
6I stand with BB [81 words]Hon Sirajin Rollings-KamaraAug 17, 2019 03:12252901
10I beg to differ [388 words]Dave GirvitzAug 16, 2019 23:10252894
Not a matter of "a free speech exception for hate speech" [133 words]Anon.Aug 17, 2019 18:28252894
not with you on this one [92 words]bruce l bialoskyAug 18, 2019 08:25252894
7Israel was right. [65 words]Kenneth MathewsAug 16, 2019 22:45252893
Disappointed reading today's article [100 words]Palti SelaAug 17, 2019 09:15252893
1I surmise that your mistaken because Donald Trump is unlike Richard Pipes or Barack Obama [741 words]RobertSep 9, 2019 01:35252893

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