U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman said in a statement on Thursday that the United States “supports and respects” Israel’s decision to deny entry to Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.)
“The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel is not free speech. Rather, it is no less than economic warfare designed to delegitimize and ultimately destroy the Jewish state,” said the statement.
Friedman stated that Israel “has every right to protect its borders against those activists in the same manner as it would bar entrants with more conventional weapons.”
Israel blocked entry to the congresswomen earlier on Thursday.

President Trump on Thursday doubled down on his decision to pressure the Israeli government to bar two U.S. Muslim congresswomen from visiting the country, labeling them “anti-Israel.”
“I’m only involved from the standpoint of they are very anti-Jewish and they’re very anti-Israel,” Trump said of Democratic Reps. Ilhan Omar (Minn.) and Rashida Tlaib (Mich.).
“I think it’s very disgraceful, the things they’ve said,” Trump continued while speaking to reporters before departing for a campaign rally in Manchester, N.H., on Thursday evening.
“They’ve become the face of the Democrat Party.”
Read more at The Hill.
{Matzav.com}

Ahead of Israel’s free trade deal with South Korea expected to be signed next week, reports emerged on Thursday that Israel has agreed to exclude Israeli residents living in the West Bank and the Golan Heights from the agreement.
In the past, Israel has refused to sign trade pacts that specifically do not include territories under dispute.
But according to local reports, a final agreement has been struck with the proposed compromise before the visit of South Korea’s Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Sung Yun-mo to Israel.
This means that residents living in Israel’s disputed territories will not be exempt from custom fees when trading with Seoul, reported YNET News.

The Trump administration is urging Congress to reauthorize the National Security Agency’s (NSA) authority to collect phone record information on millions of Americans, according to a letter obtained by The Hill.
Dan Coats, the departing director of national intelligence (DNI), in a letter to senators dated Wednesday urged Congress to reauthorize all provisions in the USA Freedom Act, a controversial law that is set to expire later this year.

The family of   חיים ישראל בן חיה נ״י would like to share an update with all of our family, friends and the entire ציבור. Your continuous outpouring of תפילות are helping, B’chasdei Hashem.
Chaim Yisroel’s condition has begun to stabilize but remains critical. Please continue to be be מתפלל for חיים ישראל בן חיה , and in the זכות of your תפילות we will אי”ה be זוכה to see continued improvement and a complete רפואה שלמה!
Thank you,
The Gelman family.

Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar lashed out Thursday at Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, after the Israeli government announced that Omar and fellow Democratic lawmaker Rashida Tlaib would not be permitted into the country on their planned trip next week.
“It is an affront that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, under pressure from President Trump, would deny entry to representatives of the US government,” Omar said in a statement Thursday following the announcement that she had been banned from Israel.

Former Colorado governor John Hickenlooper withdrew from the contest for the Democratic presidential nomination on Thursday, announcing in a video that he is considering a run for Senate.
“I ran for president because this country is being ripped apart by politics and partisan games while our biggest problems go unsolved,” Hickenlooper said in the video, which was released Thursday afternoon. “Today, I’m ending my campaign for president. But I will never stop believing that America can only move forward when we work together.”
Hickenlooper had been under pressure from national and state Democrats to abandon his presidential ambitions and to instead challenge Sen. Cory Gardner, who is regarded as one of the most vulnerable Senate Republicans in 2020.

A leading progressive lawmaker is eyeing funding cuts to Israel to protest the country’s stunning decision to bar entrance to Democratic Reps. Ilhan Omar (Minn.) and Rashida Tlaib (Mich.).
Citing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s “disrespect” for the U.S. Congress, Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) said the move to block Omar and Tlaib from their scheduled visit on Sunday is “outrageous” and deserves a congressional response — including the possibility of cutting foreign aid.
“No more members of Congress, no delegations, should be going to Israel unless this decision is reversed. And I think we’re going to have to have some serious conversations even about financial support,” Pocan, a co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said Thursday by phone.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tore into Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after he announced he would not permit Reps. Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib entry for an upcoming trip to Israel and the Palestinian territories.
“[Members of Congress] are frequently asked to visit Israel to ‘see things for ourselves,’ ” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted. “But Netanyahu choosing to ban the only 2 Muslim women in Congress from entering tells the US that only *some* Americans are welcome to Israel, not all.”
Ocasio-Cortez said in a later tweet that Netanyahu’s “discriminatory decision” to ban Omar and Tlaib entry “harms [international] diplomacy,” and vowed not to plan any trips to Israel “until all members of Congress are allowed.”

A man wearing a guard uniform swerved a black pickup truck into a group of about 30 protesters from the Jewish activist group Never Again Action who were demonstrating in front of a Rhode Island prison that cooperates with Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Wednesday night. Video of the encounter in front of the Wyatt Detention Center near Pawtucket shows the driver of the truck honking his horn and stopping before quickly accelerating toward the group. He then walked into the facility. A short time later, a second guard pepper-sprayed the protesters.