By ISAAC SCHARF

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s interior minister said Friday he has received and granted a request by Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib to enter the Israeli-occupied West Bank on humanitarian grounds.

The decision marked the latest sharp reversal over what had been a planned visit by Tlaib and fellow Democrat, Rep. Ilhan Omar, to Jerusalem and the West Bank.

On Thursday, Israel had announced it is barring the two from entry — an unprecedented move targeting members of the U.S. Congress. Israel’s decision came after President Donald Trump said in a tweet it would show “weakness” to allow in the two Muslim members of Congress who have been sharply critical of him and of Israel’s policies toward the Palestinians.

On Friday, Israeli Interior Minister Aryeh Deri announced the latest twist — that Tlaib had requested and been granted permission to enter the West Bank to see relatives, including her 90-year-old grandmother.

Deri’s office published what it said was Tlaib’s written request, on congressional stationary.

In her letter, Tlaib said this would likely be the last chance to see her grandmother and that she would respect any restrictions and “not promote boycotts” during her visit.

Tlaib’s office could not immediately be reached for comment.

Deri’s office said he “decided to allow her entry to Israel and hopes she will stand by her commitment and that the visit will be for humanitarian needs only.”

Tlaib’s apparent pledge to conduct the visit in line with restrictions imposed by Israel was bound to anger Palestinians who had hoped the congressional tour, organized by a Palestinian group, would highlight their plight. Israel captured the West Bank, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem in the 1967 Mideast war. Palestinians hope to establish an independent state on those lands.

Tlaib and Omar are known as supporters of “boycott, divestment and sanctions,” or BDS, a Palestinian-led global movement. Israel alleges that BDS targets Israel’s very existence, while the movement’s supporters say it is intended as leverage to end more than half a century of Israeli military rule over Palestinians.

The U.S. president was essentially relying on Israel to retaliate against Tlaib and Omar. The two are part of the “squad” of liberal newcomers — all women of color — whom Trump has labeled the face of the Democratic Party as he runs for re-election. Trump’s actions marked a glaring departure from the tradition of American politicians leaving domestic disputes at the water’s edge.

For Israel, the willingness to side so pointedly with Trump marks a deeper foray into America’s bitterly polarized politics and risks its relationship with Congress.

Israel announced the ban Thursday after Trump tweeted that “it would show great weakness” if the two were allowed to visit. Asked later if he had spoken to Netanyahu, he said, “I did talk to people over there,” but he declined to say to whom.

Omar, who became the first Somali-American elected to Congress, denounced the ban on her and Tlaib’s tour as “an affront” and “an insult to democratic values.”

In Israel, Netanyahu said Thursday that his country remains “open to critics and criticism,” except for those who advocate boycotts against it.

By SCOTT McFETRIDGE

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — U.S. Rep. Steve King on Wednesday defended his call for a ban on all abortions by questioning whether there would be “any population of the world left” if not for births due to rape and incest.

Speaking before a conservative group in the Des Moines suburb of Urbandale, the Iowa congressman reviewed legislation he has sought that would outlaw abortions without exceptions for rape and incest. King justified the lack of exceptions by questioning how many people would be alive if not for those conceived through rapes and incest.

“What if we went back through all the family trees and just pulled those people out that were products of rape and incest? Would there be any population of the world left if we did that?” King asked, according to video of the event, which was covered by The Des Moines Register. “Considering all the wars and all the rape and pillage that’s taken place … I know I can’t certify that I’m not a part of a product of that.”

He added: “It’s not the baby’s fault for the sin of the father, or of the mother.”

A King spokesman didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press.

The nine-term Republican congressman, who represents a sprawling, largely rural 39-county district, has been criticized repeatedly for comments he’s made over the years, especially on issues related to race and immigration.

Shortly before the November 2018 election, The Washington Post reported that King met in Austria with the far-right Freedom Party, a group with Nazi ties. King said the meeting was with business leaders, including one person from the Freedom Party, but the newspaper stood by its story.

Soon after the election, King was quoted in a New York Times story saying, “White nationalist, white supremacist, Western civilization — how did that language become offensive?” The comments were denounced as racist and led the House to vote 424-1 to rebuke King. Republican leaders also stripped him of his committee assignments.

Although King has usually breezed to victories in the conservative 4th Congressional District, he narrowly won his last election over Democrat J.D. Scholten.

This year, several candidates have said they will challenge King for the Republican nomination, including conservative state Sen. Randy Feenstra. Scholten also recently announced he’d again run for the seat.

After King’s comment Wednesday, Feenstra said in a statement, “I am 100{99cd714f394079a7f0ed2eb1518dd31342ff3ceb5b6c267c3ad8acd5b5a7d66b} pro-life but Steve King’s bizarre comments and behavior diminish our message & damage our cause.”

Scholten also criticized King.

“Yet again, Steve King puts his selfish, hateful ideology above the needs of the people of Iowa’s 4th District. Excusing violence — in any way — is entirely unacceptable,” Scholten said in a statement.

In a tweet, U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney, the No. 3 Republican in House leadership, called King’s comments “appalling and bizarre” and added “it’s time for him to go.”

Several Democratic presidential candidates noted King’s comments and urged people to contribute to Scholten’s campaign.

“You would think it would be pretty easy to come out against rape and incest,” one of the presidential candidates, Pete Buttigieg, said in a statement. “Then again, you’d think it’d be pretty easy to come out against white nationalism.”