In his explanation for the decision to bar Reps. Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib from visiting Israel (except under a very specific condition in Tlaib’s case), Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cited their itinerary and offered up some insight into the organization that was sponsoring their trip to “Palestine”:

In addition, the organization that is funding their trip is Miftah, which is an avid supporter of BDS, and among whose members are those who have expressed support for terrorism against Israel. — PM of Israel (@IsraeliPM) August 15, 2019

Turns out that that was only scratching the surface:

Question for reporters covering @IlhanMN @RashidaTlaib trip to "Palestine"–as their itinerary refers to all of Israel–have u noted that the organization sponsoring the trip, Miftah, has claimed that "Jews use the blood of Christians in Jewish passover"? https://t.co/KyRqim4DYQ — Sean Durns (@SeanDurns) August 15, 2019

Instead you get reports by @washingtonpost & others which omit how the itinerary referred to Israel–and what that tells us, and which whitewash an org that has made numerous antisemitic statements. https://t.co/qc9exEDRrA — Sean Durns (@SeanDurns) August 15, 2019

Per the itinerary, both lawmakers were also going to meet with an NGO, DCI-P, which has links to terrorist organizations. On what basis is it a good idea–either for Israel or the U.S.–to allow lawmakers to meet w a group that has ties to PFLP? https://t.co/PGgeKlwko2 — Sean Durns (@SeanDurns) August 15, 2019

Tell me: Why aren't Western news outlets reporting that U.S. lawmakers were attending a trip sponsored by an organization that claims Jews "use the blood of Christians"? Or that they're meeting w groups that have ties to the PFLP, a U.S.-designated terror group. https://t.co/7PYSQRo6a3 — Sean Durns (@SeanDurns) August 15, 2019

More from NGO Monitor:

On March 27, 2013 MIFTAH, a Palestinian non-governmental organization (NGO) founded in 1998 by Hanan Ashrawi (Chair of MIFTAH’s Board of Directors), published an article by Nawaf al-Zaru that repeated the antisemitic blood libel. He wrote, “Does Obama in fact know the relationship, for example, between ‘Passover’ and ‘Christian blood’… ?! Or ‘Passover’ and ‘Jewish blood rituals…?! Much of the historical stories and tales about Jewish blood rituals in Europe are based on real rituals and are not false as they claim; the Jews used the blood of Christians in the Jewish Passover …” (translated from the original Arabic by NGO Monitor).

Holy s**t. The org sponsoring Tlaib and Omar's trip pushes the "blood matzah" literal blood libel https://t.co/CCynzkryqy — Seth Mandel (@SethAMandel) August 15, 2019

Hey that's just criticism of Netanyahu. https://t.co/9mPDV53Osg — Nathan Wurtzel (@NathanWurtzel) August 15, 2019

But wait! There’s more:

“Miftah” supports Palestinian terrorists, such as suicide bomber Wafa Idrees who murdered 1 and injured around 150 when she blew herself up in a clothing store in Jerusalem, 2002.https://t.co/3Op6b1xF3S pic.twitter.com/AUgizR15F9 — Political Bread? (@HechtBread) August 15, 2019

“Holy sh*t” is right.

This needs to be shouted from the rooftops — Joe Schaecter (@joeshaq) August 15, 2019

But our firefighters are far too busy painting “critics” Omar and Tlaib as victims of sexist Israeli Islamophobes.

The Israeli government could have used the opportunity of Omar and Tlaib’s visit for dialogue and to try to change their minds. Instead, Bibi chose the path of all strongmen: ban, forbid, shut it down. — Julia Ioffe (@juliaioffe) August 15, 2019

The trip was literally sponsored by a group that has claimed Jews use Christian blood for cooking on Passover. It’s itinerary referred to all of Israel as “Palestine” and included a meeting w a group that has links to the PFLP, a terror group https://t.co/O4lAzoMBKs https://t.co/QlB9Nk0qM2 — Sean Durns (@SeanDurns) August 15, 2019

Hello? Is this thing on?

Question for reporters: Are you going to be doing some actual investigative journalistic footwork here? Or are you content with your image of being lazy, party press stenographers? https://t.co/7PYSQRo6a3 — Sean Durns (@SeanDurns) August 15, 2019

That US lawmakers were planning a trip—1.sponsored by an org that claims Jews consume Christian blood at Passover—2. to Israel which they called “Palestine” to 3. meet w an NGO linked to the PFLP, a designated terror group & NONE of the above is noted by the press is damning — Sean Durns (@SeanDurns) August 15, 2019

Damning for the press and for everyone who’s turning Omar and Tlaib into victims — including Omar and Tlaib themselves.

***

Update:

Some more on the delightful folks at MIFTAH:

Let's talk about Miftah, the antisemitic organization that @RashidaTlaib and @IlhanMN wanted to use to show them Palestine. It isn't pretty. 1/ — Elder Of Ziyon ҉ (@elderofziyon) August 15, 2019

In 2013, I discovered that Miftah – Hanan Ashrawi's NGO – had published, in Arabic, an article saying that Jews had Passover blood rituals and used the blood of Christians for matzoh on Passover.https://t.co/WdR2IFkaUK Miftah insulted me for pointing it out.

2/ — Elder Of Ziyon ҉ (@elderofziyon) August 15, 2019

Finally, after major media picked up on the story, they took down the article and apologized – but only in English. Arabic readers still believe the blood libel of Tlaib and Omar's tour guides.https://t.co/8XfU65Iqyx 3/ — Elder Of Ziyon ҉ (@elderofziyon) August 15, 2019

I then noticed that the site also praised female suicide bombers. They silently removed the articles, without apology.https://t.co/N3KN9HTage — Elder Of Ziyon ҉ (@elderofziyon) August 15, 2019

I kept looking. Miftah had an article attacking Judaism and questioning whether the Temples existed, as well as opposing Jews even visiting the holy site.https://t.co/LKNRG0aK7c 5/ — Elder Of Ziyon ҉ (@elderofziyon) August 15, 2019

Miftah supported terrorists as national heroes and supported naming public squares after the likes of Dalal Mughrabi. https://t.co/TsEfO1GePV 6/ — Elder Of Ziyon ҉ (@elderofziyon) August 15, 2019

The Miftah NGO wrote articles explicitly against joint Israel-Arab peace programs. Europeans continued to fund it even though it was against their own goals.https://t.co/MHVGOXRq2Q 7/ — Elder Of Ziyon ҉ (@elderofziyon) August 15, 2019

Finally, Miftah posted a neo-Nazi article::

"

Who Rules America

The Alien Grip on Our News and Entertainment Media Must Be Broken By the Research Staff of National Vanguard Books "https://t.co/3eUNd6ZRoh Yes, Tlaib and Omar wanted to have a tour from neo-Nazi supporters. — Elder Of Ziyon ҉ (@elderofziyon) August 15, 2019

Worth emphasizing again: Miftah, who were meant to be the tour guides for @RashidaTlaib and @Ilhan, published a neo-Nazi article that complained about Jewish control of the media and how it portrays white racists negatively. Nothing about Zionism. Purely Jew-hatred. pic.twitter.com/KK42BpF0u4 — Elder Of Ziyon ҉ (@elderofziyon) August 15, 2019

From that angle, I would have LOVED to see them tour with Miftah, because the media would have uncovered these many antisemitic postings. In that sense – too bad. But still, they chose Miftah for the tour, which tells you a lot about their tolerance for antisemitism. — Elder Of Ziyon ҉ (@elderofziyon) August 15, 2019

Tells you even more about the people who stand with Omar and Tlaib.