Illiberal Bigots

No doubt that progressives everywhere, along with their trained hamsters in the media, will be "outraged" that the only liberal democracy in the Middle East barred two noted anti-Semites and proponents of the despicable BDS movement, Democratic Reps. Ilhan Omar and Rashida Talib, from entry to Israel. After all, I'm certain that a visit would have caused them to modify their bigoted, anti-Semitic positions, moderate their overt hatred of Jews, and change their opinion of the tiny country that will never be accepted by the majority of the 100+ million Muslims who live in the Arab crescent. NOT.

From a purely political perspective, this is undoubtedly what Omar and Talib wanted. They are experts at playing the victim and Israel's actions will give them more ammunition to do just that. After all, the social justice warrior crowd has already expressed "concern." But you know what—who cares?

BREAKING: The Associated Press reports that Talib has applied for entry to Gaza on humanitarian grounds to see her 94 year-old grandmother. That request has been granted by Israel, and we'll see whether she turns her visit into a political stunt.

But back to the earlier denial of entry for both Omar and Talib. David Harsanyi comments:

Should Israel have taken the high road and given two enemies of Israel visas for this propaganda visit? Probably. It usually does. Allowing foes to enter the country reflects the strong liberal values that make Israel a special place in Middle East.

However, the idea that impeding two anti-Semites and Hamas apologists from entering Israel is an attack on democracy, or the United States, or that such a move is accelerating the corrosion of the Democratic Party’s support for Israel, is absurd.

Sen. Bernie Sanders contends that Israel is showing “enormous disrespect to these elected leaders, to the United States Congress, and to the principles of democracy.”

What principle of democracy states that you have to issue visas for illiberal bigots who actively engage in efforts to harm your citizens? If Republican Steve King were denied an entry visa into Mexico, not a single congressperson would stand up for him, not a single presidential candidate would claim that Mexico had insulted the honor of the United States, not a single Democrat would argue that it reflected poorly on Mexican democracy, and not a single liberal pundit would contend that the Mexican-U.S. relationship was being hurt.

We don’t actually need theoretical examples. How many Democrats were insulted when the speaker of the British House of Commons told the elected president of the United States he was not welcome to address them? Would any sane person claim Britain was stifling debate by doing so?

Would any American be bothered if the State Department denied an entry visa to a foreign elected official who actively worked toward the economic destruction of the United States while being an apologist for al-Qaeda or some other anti-American terrorist group? (Well, maybe a few.)

Not even we believe people are entitled to visit simply because they demand it.

The Democratic party should be ashamed that it has not unequivocally repudiated Omar and Talib. Instead, it tries to spin their bigotry and anti-Semitism into something less noxious.

BTW, Omar and Talib had every opportunity to visit Israel along with a Congressional delegation last week. Instead they wanted a propaganda visit, and Israel refused to comply.

Harsanyi continues:

It needs to be stressed that Tlaib and Omar aren’t mere “critics” of Israel, as the media incessantly claims. Critics of Israel find fault with policies of the nation’s government — which, in Israel’s case, has oscillated from left to right, from hawkish to dovish, for more than 70 years. Critics have been traveling to Israel forever. Critics of Israel serve in the nation’s Parliament and openly and freely take positions against the ruling government.

Tlaib and Omar actively support a movement with the strategic aim of rallying the world to destroy the Jewish state economically. The boycott, divestment, and sanctions movement (BDS) not only challenges Israel’s right to exist, it relies on age-old antisemitic tropes, conspiracy theories, and blood libels to propel the message. Its most famous champions in the United States are Tlaib and Omar.

After thinking about it, I'm pleased that Israel barred these two Leftists from entry. As elected officials, they are a stain on the Democratic party and an embarrassment to the people who elected them. In the words of Harsanyi, they are hardly the victims they claim to be ad nauseum, rather, they're "illiberal bigots."

UPDATE:
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In a tweet yesterday, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) "disagreed" with Israel's decision to bar Omar and Talib:

We disagree with Reps. Omar and Tlaib’s support for the anti-Israel and anti-peace BDS movement, along with Rep. Tlaib’s calls for a one-state solution. We also believe every member of Congress should be able to visit and experience our democratic ally Israel firsthand.

I wonder if AIPAC would have "disagreed" with Israel had it barred a true white supremacist who advocated the destruction of Israel and (via support for Hamas among other terror organizations) the murder of Jews. I think not. The irony is that in their own way, the Democrat Congresswomen want the same thing. Relative to Israel, they are as dangerous as any white supremacist, yet somehow, liberal Jews think they can be reasoned with. They cannot. They are NOT the friend of Israel or the Jews—never have been ... never will be.