Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin announced earlier this week that he was not going to permit an official Knesset delegation take part in a women’s conference in Washington, DC. The angry speaker explained his decision was a response to America rejecting a visa request from MK (Ichud Leumi) Dr. Michael Ben-Ari, equating the right-wing legislator with terrorism, barring him as the US did with the late Rabbi Meir Kahane HY”D. Ben-Ari is viewed by many as the successor to Kahane.
The conference beginning on March 25th is being hosted by Congress, and MKs Zahava Gal-On (Meretz), Tzipi Hotovely (Likud) and Einat Wilf (HaAtzma’ut) were scheduled to attend.
Rivlin announced that the ban against Ben-Ari was simply a slap in the face to the entire Knesset, prompting his decision. US consular officials explain they have the prerogative to reject visa applications based on efforts to prevent the entry of terrorists.
State Department officials do not seem interested in explaining why Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and other terrorists are not only permitted entry, but granted VIP status and police protection.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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One Response
I’m not defending the US visa rejection, but the Ahmadinejad comparison does not hold up.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is the head of government in Iran and was traveling to attend meetings in the UN. As part of its role of hosting the UN, the US never denies visas to UN delegation members. This is why Iran, Cuba, and Syria all have UN delegations even though often many of their diplomats would not be eligible for a visa.
If Dr. Michael Ben-Ari was an accredited diplomat traveling as part of the UN delegation he would be allowed in.