Last week Israel announced it was barring two Democratic U.S. congresswomen from entering the country. This was a highly unusual move that came after U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted that Israel would be showing "great weakness" by admitting them. Both congresswomen, Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, are Muslim and support BDS, the "Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions" movement that seeks to pressure Israel into ending its occupation.

Following an appeal from Congresswoman Tlaib, Israel granted her permission to visit her 90-year-old grandmother in the West Bank. After first agreeing not to promote boycotts against Israel during the trip, Tlaib changed her mind, saying she could not go under "these oppressive conditions."

Debra Shushan, director for policy and government relations at Americans for Peace Now, said Trump's actions clearly had an impact on Israel's decision in banning the two congresswomen. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is dependent on Trump for electoral advantage in the upcoming elections; therefore, there is no way he could have said no to Trump's call.

Shushan noted that international law doesn't agree with the claim that Israel is not occupying Palestinian territories. In her opinion, it is Tlaib's job to go to the Palestinian territories and see how the U.S. policy is dramatically and negatively affecting Palestinians; therefore, it makes total sense that her trip would be centered around congressional oversight and turning the Palestinian issue into a humanitarian cause.

Simcha Rothman, a legal adviser for Meshilut, notes that the Israel Movement for Government and Democracy said according to Israeli law, anyone supporting BDS is banned from entering Israel.

Rothman doesn't think the controversy of Netanyahu failing to form a ruling coalition will affect the results of the next election. According to Rothman, the majority of Israelis think that Israel needs to protect its citizens and borders. There haven't been elections in Palestine for many years, and if they do happen, Palestinians will choose Hamas and other anti-Semitic organizations, and this is the problem Israel is facing.

Eugene Kontorovich, a law professor at George Mason University and the head of the international law department at the Kohelet Policy Forum in Jerusalem, said, "Israel has every right to take this position." 

"The two Congresswomen were denied visas because they are working to foster an economic warfare campaign against the state of Israel."

According to Kontorovich, Congresswoman Omar compared Israel to Nazi Germany and said, "We need to struggle against Israel the way we struggled against Nazi Germany. These actions and words are very hard for Israel to take."

Omar Baddar, a political analyst, human rights advocate and deputy director of the Arab American Institute, agrees with the opinion that the way the heated rhetoric has built up around the world has focused much attention on the BDS movement.

Baddar thinks that Israel was caught in a difficult situation. On the one hand, if Israel let the congresswomen in, they are going to document the apartheid that exists, the mistreatment of Palestinians and the severe human rights violations. On the other hand, not allowing them in will expose that there is something to hide, which brings attention to it as well.

"We should be aware that Israel is not just barring these members of Congress entry into Israel. They are barring their entry into the Palestinian territories. The Palestinian territories are not Israel. Israel is legally obligated to withdraw from the Palestinian territories," said Baddar. In his opinion, Israel has to end the occupation of the Palestinian territories and start respecting Palestinians' human rights if the BDS movement was to end.

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