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We don’t need more “expressions of concern

Israel’s ban on Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib lays bare its oppressive reality

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canadian goose jacket Hagai El Ad is executive director of B’Tselem, the Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories. canadian goose jacket

If Rep. Rashida cheap canada goose Tlaib (D Mich.) had been allowed by Israel to visit her family in the Palestinian village of Beit Ur al Fauqa, she might have been able to see with her own eyes https://www.fabulalitera.de the nearby highway that Canada Goose Parka Israel built on confiscated Palestinian land a highway that makes commutes easier for Israelis but is almost completely off limits to Palestinians.

Canada Goose Outlet If Rep. Ilhan Omar (D Minn.) had been allowed by Israel to visit the Palestinian city of Ramallah, she might have seen how the combination of civilian Israeli settlements, military canada goose gilet mens uk checkpoints and the separation barrier all work together to encircle this urban Palestinian enclave, limit its development and separate it from the rest of the other Palestinian fragments celebrated by Israel as “autonomous.” Canada Goose Outlet

Canada Goose Parka Yet neither congresswoman will be able to visit Israel as scheduled this Sunday, after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reversed his government’s earlier decision to allow them entry following pressure from President Trump. Canada Goose Parka

canada goose coats on sale Israel’s choice to ban the entry of the two congresswomen is based on a relatively recent amendment to the “Entry Into Israel Law,” which prohibits entry of any foreign national who makes a “public call for boycotting Israel” or “any area under its control.” The law has already been used to try to deport a prominent human rights activist and an American student of Palestinian origin. Though the law’s title suggests it controls entry into Israeli territory, it goes much further: Because Israel controls border crossings in and out of the occupied West Bank, it also dictates who is cheap canada goose allowed to enter and exit Palestinian territory. lawmakers may be shocking, but it’s a daily reality for the 2 million Palestinians caged off in the Gaza strip. Publicly attacking members of Congress may make international headlines, but for some 5 million Palestinians living without political rights under Israel’s half century long occupation, it’s all too familiar with no end in sight. And trying to hide, censor and lie about the brutal oppression of an entire people is a long standing Israel strategy, not one invented to please Trump. The difference is whether Israel canada goose outlet uk fake will get away with it this time as well, or whether there will finally be consequences from such a high profile move. canada goose coats on sale

canada goose uk outlet Israel’s record of killing or injuring Palestinians with impunity, systematically taking over their land and controlling the lives of millions through an arbitrary system of permits while claiming that all this is “legal” and democratic is part of the infamous status quo. So is its habit of attacking and trying to ban those who criticize its behavior. foreign policy in the face of these injustices has vacillated between disastrous and naive, acting as the cornerstone canada goose shop prague that enables Israel and provides it with almost blanket impunity. canada goose uk outlet

cheap canada goose uk Given this legacy, the only novelty is the courage of American elected officials including Tlaib, Omar and others to see this injustice for what it truly is and demand fundamental change. We don’t need more “expressions of concern,” the international diplomacy version of canada goose shop uk review toothless “thoughts and prayers.” Instead, there needs to be an understanding that Israel is unlikely to consider Palestinian rights, freedom or dignity with any degree of seriousness unless a sufficiently significant self interest reason presents itself internationally and the United States is clearly the country with the most leverage to, at long last, tip the scales. cheap canada goose uk

buy canada goose jacket At a time when American “leadership” is more and more about naked force, Tlaib and Omar’s support for Palestinian rights reminds us what America can, and should, stand up for. And when Israeli strategy is canada goose outlet calgary increasingly associated with rising ultra nationalist powers around the world, the decision to ban Tlaib and Omar’s entry proves once again how undemocratic Israel truly is. Today, we are reminded that if we wish to truly share in the values of human rights and democracy, these cannot be treated as empty slogans. They need to be fought for, together, with conviction whether in Washington, Jerusalem or Beit Ur al Fauqa buy canada goose jacket.