- Title: "May God ruin him" Tlaib's grandmother says in retort to Trump
- Date: 17th August 2019
- Summary: BEIT UR AL-FAUQA, WEST BANK (AUGUST 17, 2019) (REUTERS) GRANDMOTHER OF U.S. CONGRESSWOMAN RASHIDA TLAIB SITING OUTSIDE HER HOME RASHIDA TLAIB'S GRANDMOTHER, MUFTIA TLAIB, WEARING PALESTINIAN TRADITIONAL DRESS MUFTIA TLAIB LOOKING ON (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) GRANDMOTHER OF U.S. CONGRESSWOMAN RASHIDA TLAIB, MUFTIA TLAIB, SAYING: "May God ruin him. I was happy that she was coming, I was excited that she was coming, for her grandmother to see her.'' MUFTIA TLAIB HOLDING TISSUE (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) GRANDMOTHER OF U.S. CONGRESSWOMAN RASHIDA TLAIB, MUFTIA TLAIB, SAYING: "My heart tells me that she will come.'' JOURNALIST ASKING: "What you will do for her when if she comes?" ''What do you want me to tell you? I will slaughter a sheep when she comes, I did that when her mother visited and this yard will be full of people." UNCLE OF U.S. CONGRESSWOMAN RASHIDA TLAIB, BASSAM TLAIB, SITTING WITH MUFTIA TLAIB IN THE GARDEN (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) UNCLE OF U.S. CONGRESSWOMAN RASHIDA TLAIB, BASSAM TLAIB, SAYING: "Rashida was expecting to see her grandmother for one last time because grandmother is close to 90 years old. This is a tragic decision, it is a racist and unfair decision against Rashida and against her grandmother." TLAIB'S GRANDMOTHER AND UNCLE WALKING OUTSIDE HOME VARIOUS OF ISRAELI CHECKPOINT NEAR TLAIB'S FAMILY HOUSE SIGN READING (Hebrew, English And Arabic): 'SLOW! BARRIER AHEAD'
- Embargoed: 31st August 2019 15:34
- Keywords: Palestinians U.S. Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib Grandmother Trump Israel visit
- Location: BEIT UR AL-FAUQA, WEST BANK / WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES
- City: BEIT UR AL-FAUQA, WEST BANK / WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES
- Country: Palestinian Territories
- Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace
- Reuters ID: LVA001ASLVXHJ
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:Sitting under an olive tree in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, an elderly Palestinian woman cannot help but scoff at the attention she has recently received from the President of the United States.
Muftia Tlaib is the grandmother of U.S. congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, who has been at the centre of a diplomatic storm that has drawn President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu together against U.S. Democrats.
On Thursday (August 15), bowing to pressure from Trump, Israel barred a visit by her granddaughter Rashida Tlaib and fellow Democrat Ilhan Omar, that it had initially said it would allow.
On Friday (August 16), however, Tlaib's request to visit her family in the West Bank was granted by Israel on humanitarian grounds. But in yet another twist, Tlaib rejected the offer saying that the Israeli government had imposed restrictions meant to humiliate her.
On Friday night, Trump tweeted:
"Rep. Tlaib wrote a letter to Israeli officials desperately wanting to visit her grandmother. Permission was quickly granted, whereupon Tlaib obnoxiously turned the approval down, a complete setup. The only real winner here is Tlaib's grandmother. She doesn't have to see her now!"
The grandmother was not impressed.
"May God ruin him. I was happy that she was coming, I was excited that she was coming, for her grandmother to see her,'' she said, sitting in the garden of her home in the village of Beit Ur Al-Fauqa.
The 90-year-old matriarch had been making preparations until the very last minute.
(Production: Hamuda Hassan, Mustafa Abu Ganeyeh, Rosalind Church) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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