Communist Knesset member Aida Touma-Sliman sent official letters of solidarity to two Democratic Congresswomen, Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, “to express my appreciation for your tireless work on behalf of the Palestinian people” and “in light of President Trump’s racist recent attacks” upon them as the members of the US House of Representatives.

From left to right, US Congresswomen Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ayanna Pressley during a press conference in the Capitol building in Washington DC, last Monday, July 15 (Screenshot: CNN)

Touma-Sliman wrote: “When I read of President Trump’s vicious attacks, I was struck by the similarity between his racist incitement and that practiced by his close ally Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Trump and Netanyahu work in the same way. They represent the same racism, nationalism and incitement against minorities.” Democratic congressional representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley and Rashida Tlaib have been called “anti-Semitic, Communist and anti-American” in a series of tweets by Trump.

The Hadash MK added that she is committed to doing “whatever is in our power” to enable the congresswomen’s planned visit to Israel and the occupied Palestinian West Bank and asked to meet to with them together with “people who are fighting for peace and freedom from within Israel – Jews and Arabs alike.”

Touma-Sliman asked to share with them her “perspective on the occupation, on the discrimination faced by Palestinian citizens within Israel, and on the particular challenges facing Palestinian women.”

On Thursday, July 18, Haaretz reported that Netanyahu will decide whether the congresswomen will be allowed entrance into the country, in light of support they have voiced for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (DBS) movement. Israeli law allows authorities to deny entry into the country by individuals who support boycotting the country. However, the Foreign Ministry has the authority to recommend to the Strategic Affairs Ministry and the Interior Ministry issuing waivers for political or diplomatic figures, if it deems denying them entry would harm Israel’s foreign relations.

Second on the slate of Hadash (Democratic Front for Peace and Equality – Communist Party of Israel) MK Touma-Sliman made history four years ago when she became the first Communist and Arab woman to head a parliamentary committee, serving as head of the Knesset Committee on the Status of Women and Gender Equality.