While Israel just celebrated 76 years of Independence, this week brings another notable date for enemies of the Jewish state. In some circles, May 15th is used to commemorate the "Nakba," or a catastrophe. Even after all that Israel has been through with the October 7 attack perpetrated by Hamas, this year has been no different. Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) spent not just Wednesday--the day in question--but also Thursday posting about the "Nakba."
The Nakba never ended. pic.twitter.com/QSUCMaJctP
— Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (@RepRashida) May 15, 2024
Khalto Safiya’s testimony as a Nakba survivor was powerful. She recounted the horrific violence her family experienced in 1948, the trauma she endured, and the painful loss of her connection to her village and home.
— Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (@RepRashida) May 16, 2024
May we live to see a free Falastin. pic.twitter.com/W2iXFz7R53
Tlaib hasn't stuck to merely social media posts over her official X account, though. The Squad member introduced a resolution, "Recognizing the Nakba and Palestinian refugees’ rights."
The resolution doesn't merely call out Israel, but also the United States and even the increasingly anti-Israel United Nations for their actions from 1947 and 1948. The resolution does, however, speak positively about the terrorist-infested UNRWA, noting "of the more than 7,000,000 Palestinian refugees, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East provides much-needed social services to 5,700,000 Palestine refugees today..."
As part of the smearing of Israel, Tlaib's resolution also uses statistics that amount to pro-Hamas propaganda:
Whereas the apartheid government of Israel is committing a genocide against the Palestinian people which, as of May 14, 2024, has killed at least 35,000 people, including more than 14,500 children, wounded more than 79,000, with 10,000 additional people still missing, displaced over 1,700,000 Palestinians, and created a state of famine across Gaza;
Hamas acknowledged last month that they don't know the actual numbers, and even the United Nations halved those estimates more recently. There's been evidence for months, though, that the estimates are meaningless.
Some of the resolution's calls to action are particularly problematic, as it calls for the United States to:
(4) encourage education and public understanding of the facts of the Nakba, including the United States role in the humanitarian relief effort, and the relevance of the Nakba to modern-day refugee crises;
(5) support the resumed provision of social service to Palestinian refugees through the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East;
In other words, Tlaib is calling for public policy to dictate as much of a "pro-Palestinian" and anti-Israel position as the one she herself holds, and to pass it on to younger generations in the name of "encourag[ing] education and public understanding of the facts of the Nakba."
Earlier this year, the Biden administration announced a temporary pause in additional funding to the UNRWA in response to reporting that terrorists assisting in the October 7 attack were involved with the agency. An agency employee was also holding one of the Israeli hostages captive. For all of the outrage from the Squad, it's worth reminding that the pause only applies to new and additional funding. The call to support the UNRWA also comes as footage was released just this week showing how "terrorists openly operating at UNRWA's central logistics compound and next to UN vehicles," per the IDF.
The UNRWA also posted to their official X account last week, in what was at one point a pinned post, declaring that they would not be evacuating Rafah despite the IDF's calls to do so in order to minimize civilian casualties in the region.
Tlaib's Instagram post, which tagged US Campaign for Palestinian Rights and was also shared on Wednesday, expanded upon her rant about the "Nakba" and briefly mentioned the resolution. Three times it claims that "The Nakba never ended."
Tlaib's post doesn't merely speak out against Israel in the context of discussing the "Nakba." She also claims that, without evidence, "[t]he apartheid government of Israel continues to ethnically cleanse Palestinians in Gaza committing genocide and war crimes."
The idea of "Palestinian refugees" is also relevant in a larger context when it comes to recent reports that the Biden administration is thinking of bringing over such people from Gaza. Despite the multiple questions and concerns, the White House has continued to be tight-lipped, with White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre refusing to provide any kind of meaningful answers during Tuesday's briefing, speaking of there being "no updates" and "no announcement to make" and how "I don't have anything to share."
Q: "Where do deliberations stand on this potential White House plan to allow a certain number of Palestinian refugees into the U.S.?"
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) May 13, 2024
KJP: “Don’t have anything to share.” pic.twitter.com/Wmc5Aa0Ugm
Jean-Pierre did, however, when asked if Democratic senators being "lukewarm on the idea" say that "I--I wouldn’t say that. I wouldn’t--I wouldn’t say that--confirm that either way. What I will say is we’re--we don’t have any announcement to make at this time. And so, obviously, we’re going to look at everything."
Later on Thursday, the House is expected to vote on the Israel Security Assistance Support Act, in response to reports that the Biden administration has halted aid to Israel and threats from President Joe Biden himself that he'll halt aid if Israel continues with its operation in Rafah. Tlaib and other members of the Squad are almost certainly going to vote against the bill.
The Hill reported that Democratic House leadership is whipping against the bill, though it may nevertheless put Democrats in disarray if some of the more pro-Israel members vote in favor. Biden's threat to veto the bill came on Tuesday night, as the House Rules Committee spent hours discussing the legislation with House Committee on Foreign Affairs Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX) and Ranking Member Gregory Meeks (D-NY).
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