In a post on Twitter, controversial Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar blamed US President Trump for the banning of her visit to Israel, writing:
"It is an affront that Israel Prime Minister Netanyahu, under pressure from President Trump, would deny entry to representatives of the US government. Trump's Muslim ban is what Israel is implementing, this time against two duly elected Members of Congress. Denying entry into Israel not only limits our ability to learn from Israelis, but also to enter the Palestinian territories. Sadly, this is not a surprise given the public position of Prime Minister Netanyahu, who has consistently resisted peace efforts, restricted the freedom of movement of Palestinians, limited public knowledge of the brutal realities of the occupation and aligned himself with Islamophobes like Donald Trump."
" As a member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, it is my job to conduct oversight of foreign aid from the US and to legislate on human rights practices around the world. The irony of the 'only democracy' in the Middle East making such decision is that it is both an insult to democratic values and a chilling response to visit by government officials from an allied nation."