US Rep. Ilhan Omar to Boycott “Israeli” President’s Speech to Congress

By Staff, Agencies

US Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar announced Wednesday that she intends to boycott the speech set to be delivered by “Israeli” entity’s President Isaac Herzog during a joint session of Congress, scheduled for next week.

In a lengthy Twitter post lashing out at the “Israeli” government, Omar wrote, “there is no way in hell I am attending the joint session address from a President whose ‘country’ has banned me and denied Rashida Tlaib the ability to see her grandma.”

In 2019, the “Israeli” entity announced that it was banning Omar and her colleague, Palestinian-American congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, from entering its territory because of their support for the BDS movement.

“‘Israeli’ President Isaac Herzog’s address comes on behalf of the most right-wing government in ‘Israel’s’ history, at a time when the government is openly promising to ‘crush’ Palestinian hopes of statehood – essentially putting a nail in the coffin of ‘peace’ and a ‘two-state’ solution,” Omar wrote.

Herzog is set to give the speech marking the “Israeli” entity’s 75^th anniversary next Wednesday. He was invited last year by then-House speaker Nancy Pelosi, which was backed by current Speaker Kevin McCarthy earlier this year.

Omar pointed out recent remarks made by “Israeli” far-right ministers, and the ongoing debate over the so-called “judicial reform” plan, which created tensions between Washington and Tel Aviv.

“It comes as extreme right-wing ‘Israeli’ cabinet members directly attack President Biden, saying ‘Israel’ is ‘no longer a star’ on the US flag. It also comes as the ‘Israeli’ government is pushing through what legal experts describe as a judicial coup to centralize power and undermine checks on their power, prompting months of mass demonstrations against the government throughout ‘Israel’,” she wrote.

The congresswoman also noted that it was the deadliest year for Palestinians in the West Bank, mentioning the “Israeli entity’s recent counterterrorism operation in the city of Jenin, which left 13 Palestinians dead.

“These are all deeply concerning trends – especially considering the fact that we provide ‘Israel’ with nearly $4 billion in annual military aid,” she stressed, adding, however, that the US “can and should use its diplomatic tools to engage with the ‘Israeli’ government.”