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U.S. Democrat Omar hopes Israelis oust PM Netanyahu in elections

U.S. Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar on Sunday (September 15) told CBS News Face the Nation she believed that if re-elected, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plans to annex portions of the occupied West Bank would spell the end of prospects for a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians.

"I certainly hope that the people of Israel make a different decision, and my hope is that they recognize that (Netanyahu's) existence, his policies, his rhetoric really is contradictory to the peace that we are all hoping that that region receives," Omar said.

Netanyahu blocked Omar from visiting the occupied West Bank earlier this year, citing her support for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, which tries to put economic and political pressure on Israel on behalf of Palestinians. The block was later lifted.

Israelis will go to the polls Tuesday (September 17) to elect a new parliament, called the Knesset, after Netanyahu proved unable to muster a governing coalition alongside his Likud party after elections in April.