Trump Applauds That Rashida Tlaib's Grandmother 'Doesn't Have To See Her,' As Rep.'s West Bank Family Supports Her Decision

Amid news that Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib would not accept the conditions set by the Israeli government in order to visit family members living in the West Bank, President Donald Trump used Twitter to comment on it.

In a series of tweets, the president said that Tlaib's letter to the Israeli government and subsequent decline of their offer to visit was "a complete setup." He also praised Israel's leaders for "acting appropriately" when responding to the congresswoman's request.

"Israel was very respectful & nice to Rep. Rashida Tlaib, allowing her permission to visit her 'grandmother.' As soon as she was granted permission, she grandstanded & loudly proclaimed she would not visit Israel. Could this possibly have been a setup? Israel acted appropriately!," Trump wrote.

The president went on to declare that the only winner in the situation was Tlaib's grandmother who "doesn't have to see her now."

"Like it or not, Tlaib and Omar are fast becoming the face of the Democrat Party. Cortez (AOC) is fuming, not happy about this," Trump added.

Tlaib composed tweets on Friday to announce that she had decided to reject conditions set out by Israel for a visit, days after she and fellow congresswoman Ilhan Omar were barred from entering the country by Israel's government. While Omar is still banned, the decision regarding Tlaib was reconsidered reportedly due to her desire to visit her family.

"When I won, it gave the Palestinian people hope that someone will finally speak the truth about the inhumane conditions. I can't allow the State of Israel to take away that light by humiliating me & use my love for my sity to bow down to their oppressive & racist policies," Tlaib said.

"Silencing me & treating me like a criminal is not what she wants for me. It would kill a piece of me. I have decided that visiting my grandmother under these oppressive conditions stands against everything I believe in -- fighting against racism, oppression & injustice," she added in a separate tweet.

The conditions of Tlaib's visit were that she not speak about or write about the boycott while in Israel.

The bans were enacted after pressure by Trump toward Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Reuters said.

The ban is believed to be due to the support the freshman Democrats have given toward the controversial Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement — which passed in the House of Representatives on Tuesday. The BDS is aiming to apply political pressure on Israel until the country returns land acquired during the Six-Day War in 1967, tearing down the wall separating the West Bank from the rest of the country and granting equal status to Palestinian citizens, among other concessions.

Members of Tlaib's family defended the Michigan representative in interviews, including one which aired on Fox News Friday.

"They don't want her to come. They prevent her because they know she is coming here to see in her own eyes with the delegation, the suffering of the Palestinian people and the violations of the occupation on the people's lives here," Tlaib's uncle Bassam Tlaib told Fox News.

Other family members, including the congresswoman's grandmother Muftiyah Tlaib, said they just wanted to see Rashida and weren't concerned about American politics.

Muftiyah told The Washington Post that she isn't interested in Trump's attacks on her granddaughter. "I don't know him," she said. "I don't care."

"I am proud of her. Who wouldn't be proud of a granddaughter like that? I love her and am so proud of her," Muftiyah said of Rashida.