Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed that Democratic Reps. Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib will be barred from entering the country because "their intent is to hurt Israel."
"There is no country in the world that respects the US and the US Congress more than the State of Israel," Netanyahu's statement began. "As a vibrant and free democracy, Israel is open to any critic and criticism, with one exception: Israel's law prohibits the entry of people who call and operate to boycott Israel, as is the case with other democracies that prevent the entry of people whose perception harms the country. The same is true of the US towards an Israeli Knesset and other public figures in the world.
"Congress[wo]men Tlaib and Omar are leading activists in promoting boycott legislation against Israel in the US Congress. Only a few days ago, we received their visitation plan, and it became clear that they were planning a campaign whose sole purpose was to strengthen the boycott and negate Israel's legitimacy," it went on. "For example, they defined their visit destination as 'Palestine' rather than 'Israel.'"
Netanyahu goes on to allege that their visitation plan "shows that their intent is to hurt Israel."
Last month, the House of Representatives voted in favor of a resolution condemning the BDS movement, but Tlaib and Omar were two of 17 Democrats who voted against the measure. The two Congresswomen went as far as to introduce a separate resolution supporting the "nonviolent movement."