The Wall Street Journal - 17.08.2019 - 18.08.2019

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL. ** Saturday/Sunday, August 17 - 18, 2019 |A

Mr. Netanyahu’s government

had originally said last month it

would allow Ms. Tlaib and Ms.

Omar to visit Israel and the

West Bank, a routine trip for

most U.S. Congress members.

Israel changed course after Mr.

Trump tweeted Thursday that

allowing them entry would

show “great weakness,” accus-

ing the lawmakers of hating Is-

rael and Jews, which they deny.

“There is a broad consensus

that Israel had just reasons to

do this, but it wasn’t smart,”

said Shalom Lipner, who worked

for several prime ministers in-

cluding Mr. Netanyahu and is

now with the Atlantic Council.

“A lot of the doors we were

able to open globally, economi-

cally, financially, diplomatically,

that was because Israel was

punching above its weight, par-

ticularly in Washington,” he

said. “If that cachet starts to di-

minish, that might affect Israel.”

Mr. Trump has sought to ele-

vate Ms. Tlaib and Ms. Omar as

leading faces of the Democratic

WORLD WATCH WORLD NEWS

of beer. “I’m not saying that I

am not up for it, but 40-foot

waves?” he said. Noel Nagle, the

band’s 75-year-old whistle

player, wasn’t surprised to hear

of Mr. Warfield’s promise on his

and Mr. Byrne’s behalf. “I’ve

known him for over 50 years, I

know what he’s like,” he said.

“He’s gung ho.”

Calls for the Wolfe Tones to

live up to their promise, and the

band’s reaction to those de-

mands, come with humor. The

episode has also reminded the

band members of their own

mortality. Having talked about

the trip to Rockall since the ’70s,

the “Wolfers” know the trip gets

harder every year.

Politics is forcing the issue.

Though Scotland can already

claim exclusive fishing rights in

the 12 miles off Rockall, champi-

ons of Brexit made control of

British waters a high-profile is-

sue. “Rockall is very much Brit-

ish...the Irish will fish the squid

and fish there to extinction,”

said Mike Park, chief executive

of the Scottish White Fish Pro-

ducers Association Limited.

In recent decades, the U.K.

and Ireland have enjoyed a

mainly harmonious relationship.

But the sticking point in Brit-

ain’s attempts to strike an EU

exit deal has been treatment of

the border between Ireland and

Northern Ireland.

The Wolfe Tones are some-

times called anti-British, with

songs such as the “Rifles of the

I.R.A.,” about the Irish Republi-

can Army, which was responsi-

ble for a string of bombings in

the U.K. The band, which began

in England, says songs about

past injustices don’t imply dis-

like for Britain as a whole or as

it is now.

As the Derrybeg gig ap-

proached, the Wolfe Tones con-

cluded Rockall was worth pursu-

ing. “With a no-deal Brexit, the

Brits will only end up making it

even harder for Irish fisher-

men,” Mr. Nagle said, getting up

to leave, but struggling to rise

from his seat. “And you want to

go to Rockall?” Mr. Byrne said,

putting down his beer.

The group opened to a rau-

cous welcome from a crowd be-

decked in the Irish flag. But the

night’s loudest cheer went to

“Rock on Rockall.”

“Oh the Empire it is finished,

no foreign lands to seize, so the

greedy eye of England is stirring

towards the seas,” Mr. Warfield

sang. “Who’s got a boat to bring

the Wolfers out to Rockall?” he

shouted. Hands shot up, includ-

ing Oran Gallagher, standing at

the front of the stage. “No mat-

ter the waves, I’ll take him,” the

20-year-old said later.

Even onetime Rockall resi-

dents Mr. McClean and Mr. Han-

cock believe that, with great de-

termination, the Wolfers can

maybe do it. Now in his 80s, Mr.

McClean doesn’t rule out a

Rockall return himself.

Mr. Hancock remembers mo-

ments of great beauty on Rock-

all, with whales blowing water

and gannets divebombing into

the ocean for food. But, “when

the weather is bad, you really

don’t want to be there.”

affairs minister, said on Twitter

on Friday the ban was justified

after a review of the congress-

women’s itinerary showed their

visit aimed to promote boycot-

ting Israel.

Mr. Netanyahu defended his

decision Thursday, saying he

deeply respects the U.S. and its

Congress and that while Israel is

open to criticism, it doesn’t al-

low boycott supporters to enter.

Mr. Netanyahu has touted

Israel’s relationship with the

U.S. as at a peak under Mr.

Trump, who has recognized Je-

rusalem as the country’s capi-

tal and Israel’s sovereignty

over the Golan Heights.

Democrats criticize

Netanyahu’s move to

bar visit by Trump

rivals in Congress.

coming tied up in Democrats’

strong resistance to Mr. Trump

in 2020, as the president seeks

to portray Democrats as insuf-

ficiently pro-Israel.

“The suspicion that chang-

ing the decision to allow them

to visit stems from the U.S.

president’s request, for Ameri-

can political reasons, harms

the special relationship with

Republicans and Democrats,”

said Moshe Ya’alon, a former

military chief of staff and Likud

defense minister who is now a

senior official in the centrist

Blue and White Party.

In Israel, much of the criti-

cism of Mr. Netanyahu’s deci-

sion comes from his opponents

ahead of national elections set

for Sept. 17. He faces a tough

re-election fight against a trio

of former military chiefs of

staff heading the Blue and

White party.

Members of his own Likud

party have generally backed

Mr. Netanyahu. Gilad Erdan, a

Likud lawmaker and strategic

Party, suggesting that the party

has renounced its support of Is-

rael and supports the BDS

movement. On Friday, the presi-

dent accused Ms. Tlaib of grand-

standing and supported Israel’s

decision to allow her visit.

Many of the leading Demo-

cratic presidential contenders

have sought to reaffirm the

longstanding American alliance

with Israel while questioning

Mr. Netanyahu’s policies.

In Congress, Democratic

leaders have distanced them-

selves from Ms. Tlaib and Ms.

Omar’s statements supporting

the boycott to protest Israel’s

policies toward Palestinians,

while treading carefully be-

cause the two women are enor-

mously popular with progres-

sive activists.

A draft schedule showed Ms.

Tlaib and Ms. Omar planned to

tour holy sites and meet with

Israeli and Palestinian NGOs,

U.N. officials and civil society

groups in Jerusalem and the

West Bank cities of Hebron,

Bethlehem and Ramallah.

When asked, House Majority

Leader Steny Hoyer (D., Md.)

has said that Ms. Tlaib and Ms.

Omar’s views don’t represent

the Democratic caucus. Still, he

encouraged the women to take

their trip to Israel and pushed

Israeli officials to allow them

to visit.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a

Democratic presidential candi-

date, criticized Israel’s deci-

sion. She has said she supports

Israel as a strong ally but has

said the current situation be-

tween Israel and the Palestin-

ians is untenable.

Such Democratic voices

worry Israeli diplomats.

“The Congress in many ways

is our security lifeline and we

have to do everything we can

to preserve it,” said Michael

Oren, a former ambassador to

the U.S. during the Obama ad-

ministration.

Others say the two countries

have a resilient relationship

that dates back to President

Truman, the first world leader

to recognize Israel as a state,

minutes after its founding in

1948. From there, the relation-
      ship has grown and deepened.

TEL AVIV—Some diplomats

and former Israeli military and

intelligence officials said they

fear Israel’s decision to deny

entry to two U.S. congress-

women who are critical of Is-

raeli policy will undermine

longstanding bipartisan sup-

port for the country in the U.S.

Israel on Friday said Rep.

Rashida Tlaib could visit her

grandmother on humanitarian

grounds if she didn’t promote

an international boycott of Is-

rael, following criticism from

America lawmakers in both

parties. She had appealed the

earlier decision to bar her and

Rep. Ilhan Omar, pledging not

to promote the boycott.

But Ms. Tlaib, facing criti-

cism from some Palestinians,

said later Friday that she

wouldn’t visit Israel under “op-

pressive conditions meant to

humiliate me.” Israeli officials

stood firm on their position,

ensuring Ms. Tlaib wouldn’t

travel this weekend.

Both Ms. Tlaib, a Palestinian

American of Detroit, and Ms.

Omar, a Somali-American of

Minneapolis, are liberal Demo-

crats who support a boycott

movement to pressure Israel to

change its policy toward Pales-

tinians. House Democrats over-

whelmingly supported a reso-

lution to condemn the Boycott,

Divestment, Sanctions move-

ment last month.

Israel’s strong ties with the

U.S. and its leaders, both Dem-

ocratic and Republican, have

helped its standing on the

world stage.

Israel is currently the top

recipient of U.S. foreign aid,

currently under a 10-year $

billion military aid package

agreed to under President

Obama and later enshrined into

law with bipartisan support.

Now, the diplomats and for-

mer Israeli military and intelli-

gence officials said they are

concerned Prime Minister Ben-

jamin Netanyahu’s close align-

ment with President Trump

threatens support among Dem-

ocrats.

They fear it could create a

backlash, with Israel policy be-

BYFELICIASCHWARTZ

Israelis Worry U.S. Support Could Fade

REBECCA COOK/REUTERS

Rep. Rashida Tlaib, in her Michigan district Thursday, said Israel imposed humiliating terms on a visit.

KASHMIR

India Says It Will

Ease Restrictions

India’s government said it
would begin to relax communi-
cations and other restrictions in
the disputed northern state of
Jammu and Kashmir after initi-
ating the curbs last week in a
bid to prevent unrest.
On Aug. 5, New Delhi trig-
gered a political uproar when it
unveiled a presidential order to
revoke the Muslim-majority
state’s autonomy. Prime Minister
Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata
Party, which has roots in Hindu
nationalism, pushed through the
order with other parties.
Nearly all communications ties
have been blocked, including the
internet and mobile and land-based
telephone lines, while curfew-like
conditions and checkpoints have
hampered citizens’ movements.
“We are taking measures to
ease the restrictions in a grad-
ual, calibrated manner” during
the next few days, said BVR
Subrahmanyam, chief secretary
of Jammu and Kashmir.
—Eric Bellman

ZIMBABWE

Police Clash With

Protesters in Capital

Zimbabwe’s police used tear
gas, arrests and beatings Friday
to quell antigovernment protests
in the capital, Harare.
Seven people were hurt and
80 arrested, said Nelson Chamisa,
leader of the Movement for
Democratic Change opposition
party that organized the demon-
strations. “There is not going to
be any rest until we achieve a
people’s government,” he said.
Human-rights groups criticized
the police, saying they used ex-
cessive force against the protest-
ers. The police denied the claims.
The clashes came after Zim-
babwe’s High Court upheld the
police ban on the opposition pro-
test. The court rejected the ap-
peal Friday from the opposition
party to declare the protest to be
legal. The opposition party had
planned what it said would be a
peaceful protest to press Presi-
dent Emmerson Mnangagwa to
set up a transitional authority to
address economic problems and
organize credible elections.
—Associated Press

eignty, saying nobody should
own the remote island. Nor has
Mr. Warfield and his band, the
Wolfe Tones, who first took up
the cause in 1976 with the satiri-
cal song “Rock on Rockall.”
This June, as the Scottish
government ordered Irish boats
to stop fishing the squid-rich
waters around Rockall, Mr. War-
field told a newspaper: “We’d be
prepared to go up there in a
trawler ourselves and claim the
rock back for Ireland.”
Then the band went on a tour
of the U.S. and Mr. Warfield
mainly forgot about his promise.
Back in his native Ireland, he
is discovering that not every-
body else has. “You shouldn’t
say you are going to do some-
thing, unless you are going to do
it,” said Anne Cassidy, who had
come to watch the band play in
Derrybeg, a village in the north-
west coast of Ireland.
But there is the question of
finance and logistics, Mr. War-
field said, from his hotel ahead
of the show. The logistics would
require the aging musicians to
brave gales and rough seas in a
journey that could take up to 30
hours from an Irish port.
“It’s essentially just a big
rock in the middle of nowhere,
covered in bird excrement,” said
Englishman Nick Hancock, who
spent a record 45 days on Rock-
all in 2014. Aside from the
waves, the band will have to
conquer huge swells at the base
of the rock that make it difficult
to get close, warns Tom Mc-
Clean, a Brit who spent 40 days
there in the 1980s.
With no place to land, visi-
tors have to swim or leap onto
the rock from a boat. Once on,
the Wolfe Tones would need to
climb 50 feet up the rock to
plant the Irish flag. Mr. Hancock
is an experienced rock climber
and plays rugby. Mr. McClean is
a former member of Britain’s
elite Special Air Service group.
The Wolfe Tones play golf.
“How can the Wolfe Tones do
it? We are just a band,” Tommy
Byrne, the 75-year-old guitarist,
asked Mr. Warfield, as they set-
tled into comfy chairs and pints

Continued from Page One

Musician

Wants to

Claim Rock

Tommy Byrne and Brian Warfield, members of the Wolfe Tones,

looked over a song list before a show in Derrybeg, Ireland.

ALISTAIR MACDONALD/THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

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