GOP Rep. Brian Babin on Thursday urged House Democrats to nix a trip one of their own members has planned to visit Palestinian-controlled territory.
Mr. Babin, Texas Republican, said Rep. Rashida Tlaib’s planned trip would damage America’s foreign policy interests.
The Michigan Democrat, who is the daughter of Palestinian immigrants, said last month she’d like to lead a group of lawmakers to the West Bank, instead of joining another trip already planned to visit Israel. That trip is sponsored by pro-Israel lobbying group American Israel Public Affairs Committee, which routinely schedules visits for newly elected members of Congress.
“To signal to our most threatened ally in the region that the United States Congress sanctions an official trip to visit Israel’s nemesis would be an exceedingly dangerous path forward,” Mr. Babin said in his letter to the chairmen.
According to The Intercept, Ms. Tlaib is in the early stages of organizing the trip.
She told the outlet the AIPAC trip doesn’t provide “a real, fair lens” about segregation.
She would need permission from a chairman to make the voyage.
Ms. Tlaib recently made headlines when a video went viral of her calling President Trump a “mother——-r.”
• Alex Swoyer can be reached at aswoyer@washingtontimes.com.
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