A day after the Israeli government refused to allow two Democrats in Congress to visit that nation this weekend, Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) rejected a separate offer to visit her 90 year old grandmother on the West Bank, because Israeli officials would not allow her to speak out against the policies of the Netanyahu government during that trip.
"I have decided that visiting my grandmother under these oppressive conditions stands against everything I believe in - fighting against racism, oppression & injustice," Tlaib wrote Friday morning on Twitter.
"Silencing me & treating me like a criminal is not what she wants for me. It would kill a piece of me," Tlaib said.
The decision by the Michigan Democrat came a day after Tlaib and Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) had been blocked by Israel from an official visit - but then, the Israeli government allowed Tlaib to visit, only if she did not voice her support for efforts to boycott Israel.
In the end, Tlaib backed out.
In order to visit the West Bank, Tlaib had to promise not to engage in criticism of the Israeli government.
"I will respect any restrictions and will not promote boycotts against Israel during my vist," Tlaib wrote in a letter to the Israeli Interior Minister on Thursday.
But in the end, Tlaib could not stomach those restrictions, even as she said, "This could be my last opportunity" to see her aging grandmother.
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