SHAFAQNA- A decision by Israel to bar two American congresswomen from embarking on a highly sensitive tour of the country has prompted US lawmakers to call for scrutiny of billions in annual aid to Israel.
“The idea that a member of the United States Congress cannot visit a nation which, by the way, we support to the tune of billions and billions of dollars, is clearly an outrage,” Senator Bernie Sanders said in an interview with MSNBC on Thursday.
“And if Israel doesn’t want members of the United States Congress to visit their country to get a firsthand look at what’s going on — and I’ve been there many, many times — but if he doesn’t want members to visit, maybe he can respectfully decline the billions of dollars that we give to Israel,” he added.
Israel announced on Thursday that it would prevent a visit by Tlaib and Omar, both Democratic members of the US House of Representatives, over their criticism of Israel. The decision by Israel appears to be an unprecedented move against American members of Congress. Even AIPAC, a pro-Israel lobbying group in Washington, criticized Israel for barring the pair from traveling there, press tv mentioned. Sanders also appeared to blame Israel’s decision on US President Donald Trump, who encouraged Israel to bar Omar and Tlaib, two outspoken critics of Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians and support a boycott of Israel.
Sanders is currently among the frontrunners in the Democratic presidential primary race and consistently out-polls the incumbent Donald Trump. In a Fox News poll released Thursday, Sanders was projected to beat Trump by a 9% margin.
And he came out swinging after the Israeli decision against the tour by his junior colleagues Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan was announced. His fellow presidential hopefuls – Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris, and Joe Biden – also condemned the move by Israel but did not touch on aid, asiatimes told.
This is not the first time that Sanders has suggested using US financial and military aid to pressure Israel. He has repeatedly criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and has advocated for Palestinian rights.
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