Politics

Rashida Tlaib To Speak At Event Calling Israel’s Founding A ‘Catastrophe’

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Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan is set to speak at an event characterizing Israel’s independence anniversary as a “catastrophe,” according to the event description.

Several pro-Palestinian groups with a history of anti-Israel beliefs are hosting an event titled “Nakba 75 & the Palestinian People” on Wednesday at the U.S. Capitol, with Tlaib as the featured speaker. The event is being held ahead of the anniversary of Israel’s independence on May 15, and is being promoted as an event to “uplift the experiences of Palestinians who underwent the Nakba and educate Members of Congress,”  according to the New York Post

“May 15th marks 75 years since the beginning of the Nakba, which means ‘catastrophe.’ Seventy-five years ago, Zionist militias and the new Israeli military violently expelled approximately three-quarters of all Palestinians from their homes and homeland in what became the state of Israel,” the event page reads. ” To uplift the experiences of Palestinians who underwent the Nakba, and educate Members of Congress and their staff about this history and the ongoing Nakba to which Israel continues to subject Palestinians, we’ve partnered together to host this congressional and community educational event, to be followed immediately afterward by dinner.”

The event is sponsored by eight Palestinian organizations and one Jewish group, many of which focus on advocacy for policy changes and lobbying regarding the U.S. and Israel relationship, according to their websites. Several of the groups, Institute for Middle East Understanding, Americans for Justice in Palestine Action, Democracy for the Arab World Now and U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights, promote the belief that Israel is illegally occupying Palestinian territory and committing human rights abuses against Palestinians.

Tlaib also recently co-sponsored the “Defending the Human Rights of Palestinian Children and Families Living Under Israeli Military Occupation Act” to halt any U.S. aid to Israel that would allegedly be used by the Jewish state to perpetrate human rights abuses toward Palestinians, according to a press release.

Tlaib and the event’s sponsors did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.