Democratic Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib has announced that she will not visit her grandmother after all.
In a Friday morning tweet, Tlaib wrote: "My sity wanted to pick figs w/ me. I broke down reading this & worry every single day after I won for my family's safety. My cousin was texting me which photo of @IlhanMN & I they should put on a welcoming poster when I heard the news. I couldn't tell her."
"When I won, it gave the Palestinian people hope that someone will finally speak the truth about the inhumane conditions. I can't allow the State of Israel to take away that light by humiliating me & use my love for my sity to bow down to their oppressive & racist policies," she added.
Tlaib concluded, "Silencing me & treating me like a criminal is not what she wants for me. It would kill a piece of me. I have decided that visiting my grandmother under these oppressive conditions stands against everything I believe in--fighting against racism, oppression & injustice."
Interior Minister Aryeh Deri, who offered Friday to overturn the ban, responded: "Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib just tweeted that she will not visit Israel. Last night, she sent me a letter asking me to allow her to visit her grandmother, who is in her 90s, because 'this might be my last opportunity to see her.' I agreed to this humanitarian request, but it turns out that it was just a provocation aimed at embarrassing Israel."
"Her hatred of Israel is greater than her love for her grandmother."
In her request, Tlaib had written: "I would like to request admittance to Israel in order to visit my relatives, and specifically my grandmother, who is in her 90s and lives in Beit Ur al-Fouqa. This could be my last opportunity to see her. I will respect any restrictions and will not promote boycotts against Israel during my visit. Thank you, Rashida Tlaib."