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Media Bashes Israel for Omar Ban, but Didn't Complain When Libs Said Trump Wasn't Welcome

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Benjamin Franklin said nothing can be said to be certain aside from death and taxes. But if Franklin had lived in the modern day, I’m confident he would have added liberal hypocrisy to his list of inevitabilities.

There is an important reason why I point it out when I see it.

When the left makes a hypocritical argument, it shows that they are not committed to the truth. Let me be clear. I can be opposed to someone and we both want to know the truth. There are well-meaning liberals who search for truth and I just disagree with where they end up.

But the progressive left has abandoned any principles they once had in exchange for messages that exploit fear, hate and propaganda.

Take for example the left’s response to two different situations: Israel telling Democratic Reps. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan they aren’t welcome in Israel and liberals telling President Donald Trump he isn’t welcome in their cities.

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The Times of Israel announced Thursday that Omar and Tlaib will not be allowed in Israel for a planned visit.

And the reasoning was brutally simple.

“Israel has decided — we won’t enable the members of Congress to enter the country,” Israel’s Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely told an Israeli broadcaster, the newspaper reported.

“We won’t allow those who deny our right to exist in this world to enter Israel. In principle, this is a very justified decision.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Twitter account posted a statement defending the position.

“No country in the world respects America and the American Congress more than the State of Israel,” Netanyahu said. “As a free and vibrant democracy, Israel is open to critics and criticism with one exception: Israeli law prohibits the entry into Israel of those who call for and work to impose boycotts on Israel, as do other democracies that prohibit the entry of people who seek to harm the country.”

“In fact, in the past the US did this to an Israeli member of Knesset, as well as to other public figures from around the world,” Netanyahu continued. “Congresswomen Tlaib and Omar are leading activists in promoting the legislation of boycotts against Israel in the American Congress. Only a few days ago, we received their itinerary for their visit in Israel, which revealed that they planned a visit whose sole objective is to strengthen the boycott against us and deny Israel’s legitimacy.”

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Netanyahu then explained how Omar and Tlaib had never attempted to make a ‘state’ visit to Israel.

“They listed the destination of their trip as Palestine and not Israel, and unlike all Democratic and Republican members of Congress who have visited Israel, they did not request to meet any Israeli officials, either from the government or the opposition,” Netanyahu said. “A week ago, Israel warmly welcomed some 70 Democratic and Republican members of Congress, who expressed broad bipartisan support for Israel, which was also demonstrated a month ago in a resounding bipartisan vote against BDS in Congress.”

Then the prime minister let the hammer drop.

“The itinerary of the two Congresswomen reveals that the sole purpose of their visit is to harm Israel and increase incitement against it,” he tweeted. “In addition, the organization that is funding their trip is Miftah, which is an avid supporter of BDS, and among whose members are those who have expressed support for terrorism against Israel.”

Netanyahu was correct in his assessment of Omar’s intentions as proven by the very words on her itinerary.

Netanyahu concluded his statement by again affirming his support for the decision but made allowances for them to visit under other circumstances.

“Therefore, the minister of interior has decided not to allow their visit, and I, as prime minister, support his decision,” Netanyahu said. “Nonetheless, if Congresswoman Tlaib submits a humanitarian request to visit her relatives, the minister of interior has announced that he will consider her request on the condition that she pledges not to act to promote boycotts against Israel during her visit.”

As you might expect, the left was furious at the news.

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders characterized the move as “enormous disrespect.”

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the decision was “beneath the dignity of the great state of Israel.”

New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker implied that Israel’s blocking of Omar and Tlaib was influenced by “the dangerous nature of Trump’s racist rhetoric.”

Omar herself called it “an insult to democratic values.”

But the left wasn’t counting on Sean Davis, co-founder of conservative outlet The Federalist, weighing in.

“It sure is strange how the media cheered left-wing activists who said Trump was “not welcome” in El Paso, then turned right around and bashed Israel for saying two anti-Semites who deny Israel’s right to exist weren’t welcome in the country,” Davis said.

Davis then listed examples of people who have said Trump wasn’t welcome to various places. In each instance, the left was silent.

Remember all the times when Democratic politicians and the establishment media objected to Trump not being “welcomed” to those places?

Yeah, me neither.

The point is not whether Israel has the right to ban Oman and Tlaib (they do), but rather that the left’s outrage is disingenuous and hypocritical.

Even some conservatives doubt if Israel is making the right decision, but the left’s anger is a smoke and mirrors act meant to rile up the Democratic anti-Trump base for more political donations on the premise of fake fury.

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G.S. Hair is the former executive editor of The Western Journal.
G.S. Hair is the former executive editor of The Western Journal and vice president of digital content of Liftable Media.

After graduating law school from the Cecil C. Humphries School of Law, Mr. Hair spent a decade as an attorney practicing at the trial and appellate level in Arkansas and Tennessee. He represented clients in civil litigation, contractual disputes, criminal defense and domestic matters. He spent a significant amount of time representing indigent clients who could not afford private counsel in civil or criminal matters. A desire for justice and fairness was a driving force in Mr. Hair's philosophy of representation. Inspired by Christ’s role as an advocate on our behalf before God, he often represented clients who had no one else to fight on their behalf.

Mr. Hair has been a consultant for Republican political candidates and has crafted grassroots campaign strategies to help mobilize voters in staunchly Democrat regions of the Eastern United States.

In early 2015, he began writing for Conservative Tribune. After the site was acquired by Liftable Media, he shut down his law practice, moved to Arizona and transitioned into the position of site director. He then transitioned to vice president of content. In 2018, after Liftable Media folded all its brands into The Western Journal, he was named executive editor. His mission is to advance conservative principles and be a positive and truthful voice in the media.

He is married and has four children. He resides in Phoenix, Arizona.
Birthplace
South Carolina
Education
Homeschooled (and proud of it); B.A. Mississippi College; J.D. University Of Memphis
Location
Phoenix, Arizona
Languages Spoken
English
Topics of Expertise
Culture, Faith, Politics




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