Progressive “Squad” member Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., doubled down with her plans to host an anti-Israel event after House Speaker Kevin McCarthy canceled it, vowing that Palestinian Americans “will not be silenced.”
Tlaib said Wednesday that she would defy McCarthy and move forward with plans to host an event recognizing the “Nakba,” a Palestinian term for the 1948 founding of Israel that translates to “catastrophe.” She moved the event to a Senate hearing room and later declared, “Let the headlines read ‘McCarthy tries to erase Palestine but fails.’”
The speaker had condemned her plans as “antisemitic” and preempted her by reserving the same event space on the House side of the Capitol for a bipartisan commemoration of Israel’s 75th anniversary, which lands on May 14.
“This event at the U.S. Capitol is canceled,” McCarthy tweeted late Tuesday. “Instead, I will host a bipartisan discussion to honor the 75th anniversary of the U.S.-Israel relationship.”
Tlaib responded Wednesday afternoon with a statement accusing McCarthy of trying to “erase the existence and truth of the Palestinian people.”
“This event is planned to bring awareness about the Nakba and create space for Palestinian Americans who experienced the Nakba firsthand to tell their stories of trauma and survival,” Tlaib said.
“The Nakba is a well-documented historical event that is recognized by the United Nations. We cannot allow the same people who want to ban books and erase history simply because they’re uncomfortable with the truth to silence Palestinian voices,” she said.
McCarthy’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Tlaib has a long history of attacks on Israel. She derided the country as an “apartheid state” earlier in May, claiming it was founded on the “ethnic cleansing” of Palestinians.
In that instance, Tlaib’s comments were widely rejected on Twitter, where users were quick to apply the “community notes” fact-check feature.
Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations Gilad Erdan also told Fox News Digital the comments were an example of the Democrat’s “antisemitic lies.”
“Tlaib’s ignorance and hatred toward the Jewish people and the State of Israel know no bounds,” Erdan said. “The facts are clear: the Arabs rejected the U.N.’s resolution to establish a Jewish state and started a war to annihilate the Jews in Israel.”
The dispute over Tlaib’s “Nakba” event comes as Israel’s Iron Dome defense system warded off hundreds of rockets launched out of Gaza on Wednesday. Israel has responded with airstrikes that killed a trio of senior members of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist group. At least 10 civilians were killed in the strikes, as Palestinian militants are known to operate in heavily populated residential areas.