Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D., Mich.) is fundraising off her aborted trip to Israel, just days after she refused an Israeli invitation permitting her to visit her ailing grandmother and, instead, shared an anti-Semitic cartoon about the Jewish state.
A fundraising email sent by Democracy for America, a far left political action committee, implores readers to "chip in whatever you can to stand with her and [Rep.] Ilhan [Omar (D., Minn.)] now as they continue to fight for justice for all."
The fundraising plea, which includes a direct pitch from Tlaib, falsely states that the lawmakers "were banned from traveling to Israel and Palestine." Israel granted Tlaib special permission to enter the country to visit her grandmother. Moreover, Palestine does not, in fact, exist.
"I've dealt with sexism, racism, and Islamophobia my entire life—so I knew that would continue if I pursued a high-profile public office and won. What I didn't anticipate was for that discrimination to come from the President of the United States," Tlaib writes in the fundraising email.
Tlaib also uses the email to bash Israel and its prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.
"It's very telling when a so-called democratic ally bans elected members of Congress from visiting because of our political views and values," the lawmaker writes. "It's even more disturbing and completely unprecedented that our own president encouraged this undemocratic action. What is Netanyahu afraid that we will witness, that we will bring to light?"
"Not only am I heartbroken that I cannot meet the people of Israel and Palestine to witness their struggles firsthand, but I am heartbroken I can no longer visit my Palestinian grandmother, who just days ago was excited to decide which fig tree we'd pick from together," Tlaib continues.
Tlaib goes on to defend her support of the anti-Semitic Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement, which seeks to wage economic warfare on Israel. She also further disseminates factually inaccurate statements about Israel that are routinely used by anti-Semites and those seeking to demonize the Jewish state.
"The Israeli government ultimately decided they would let me visit, but under one condition: that I sign a letter restricting my freedom of speech in order to stop me from speaking out against the inhumane conditions Palestinians like my grandmother are forced to face by the Israeli military occupation," she writes in another statement riddled with factual inaccuracies.
"No matter how badly I wish to see my grandmother, I know she would not want me to do so under such degrading circumstances that go against everything I believe in: fighting racism, oppression, and injustice," she writes.