Israel Won’t Block Omar And Tlaib From Entering Country
![Tlaib and Omar](https://images.forwardcdn.com/image/970x/center/images/cropped/tlaib-omar-1553696012.jpg)
Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, left, and Congresswoman Ilhan Omar. Image by Getty Images
WASHINGTON (JTA) — Israel will not deny entry to any member of Congress, its Washington envoy said.
Ron Dermer responded to speculation about whether two congresswomen who back the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement targeting Israel would be allowed to enter.
“Out of respect for the U.S. Congress and the great alliance between Israel and America, we would not deny entry to any member of Congress into Israel,” Ron Dermer said in a message his spokesman sent to reporters via WhatsApp.
Israel in recent years passed a law reserving the right to deny entry to advocates of Israel boycotts. Reps. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn. and Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., both back BDS, and both have suggested that they plan to visit Israel this summer.
A message from our editor-in-chief Jodi Rudoren
![](https://forward.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Jodi-Headshot.jpg)
We're building on 127 years of independent journalism to help you develop deeper connections to what it means to be Jewish today.
With so much at stake for the Jewish people right now — war, rising antisemitism, a high-stakes U.S. presidential election — American Jews depend on the Forward's perspective, integrity and courage.
— Jodi Rudoren, Editor-in-Chief