Rashida Tlaib’s grandmother slaps down president over Israel trip comments
Rashida Tlaib‘s grandmother has condemned Donald Trump over
his comments about the congresswoman’s proposed trip to Israel and the
Palestinian occupied territories.
“Trump tells me I should be happy Rashida is not coming,”
Muftia Tlaib said.
“May God ruin him.”
The women have not seen met since 2006.
Muftia Tlaib, who is in her eighties, lives in the
Israeli-occupied West Bank.
On Thursday, bowing to pressure from the US president,
Israel barred a visit by Rashida Tlaib and fellow Democrat Ilhan Omar which the
country had initially allowed.
The move was met by anger from US politicians and Israel
amended its position the following day.
The country said Ms Tlaib could visit her relatives in the
West Bank on humanitarian grounds, but placed restrictions on the visit including
a bar on the congresswoman promoting a pro-Palestinian boycott movement,
according to Israeli media.
Ms Tlaib rejected the offer, saying Israel had imposed
restrictions meant to humiliate her.
Israel has annexed East Jerusalem in a move not recognised
internationally.
The country also maintains a blockade of Gaza and controls
most of the West Bank, where Palestinians have limited self-rule.
Rashida Tlaib, like Ms Omar, has voiced support for the
pro-Palestinian Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement, which opposes
the occupation and Israel’s policies toward Palestinians in the West Bank and
Gaza.
The pair are the first two Muslim women to be elected to
Congress, and Detroit-born Tlaib is the first Palestinian-American
congresswoman.
BDS backers can be denied entry to Israel by law.
On Friday night, Donald Trump, who has repeatedly attacked
Ms Tlaib, took to Twitter to criticise her once again.
“Rep. Tlaib wrote a letter to Israeli officials desperately
wanting to visit her grandmother. Permission was quickly granted, whereupon
Tlaib obnoxiously turned the approval down, a complete setup,” he claimed.
“The only real winner here is Tlaib’s grandmother. She
doesn’t have to see her now!”
Ms Tlaib’s grandmother spoke to journalists on Saturday,
while sitting in the garden of her home in the village of Beit Ur Al-Fauqa.
“Rashida sees her granny as a second mother, she has always
supported her. Rashida says she owes her success to her grandmother,” said
Bassam Tlaib, the congresswoman’s uncle.
“[My mother] was going to slaughter a sheep when Rashida
arrived and prepare her favourite food, stuffed vine leaves.”
Ms Tlaib’s grandmother dismissed the president’s remarks and
said she remained hopeful the congresswoman would still be able to visit.
“My heart tells me that she will come,” she said.
