McCarthy attempts to block Tlaib’s event marking ‘catastrophe’ of Israel’s establishment

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) attempted to block an event that Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) planned to hold Wednesday to mark the “catastrophe” of Israel’s establishment. 

Tlaib planned an event at the Capitol to mark Nakba Day, which recognizes the “catastrophe” of Israel’s creation as a country in 1948. After the event was scheduled, McCarthy tweeted Tuesday that that it was canceled and he would instead hold a bipartisan discussion in honor of the 75^th anniversary of the creation of the relationship between the United States and Israel. 

The Jerusalem Post reported that the event was called “Nakba 75 & The Palestinian People” and was set to be held in a 400-seat auditorium in the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center. Nakba loosely translates to catastrophe in English. 

Parker Breza — the communications manager for The Institute for Middle East Understanding, which is participating in the event — told The Hill in a statement that the event was moved to be held in an “overflowing room” in the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

“The congressional event on the 75th anniversary of the Nakba is starting now on the Hill with special guest @RepRashida,” the institute tweeted. “@SpeakerMcCarthy tried to once again silence Palestinians, but truth and justice prevailed.”

McCarthy told the Washington Free Beacon that he stepped in to cancel the event to back Israel’s “right to self-determination and self-defense.” 

“It’s wrong for members of Congress to traffic in anti-Semitic tropes about Israel,” McCarthy said. “As long as I’m Speaker, we are going to support Israel’s right to self-determination and self-defense, unequivocally and in a bipartisan fashion.” 

Tlaib tweeted pictures of the event, showing many attendees in the room in the Dirksen building.

She said in a release that McCarthy tried to “rewrite history and erase the existence and truth of the Palestinian people” but failed. She noted that Nakba is recognized by the United Nations and vowed that “we will not be silenced.”

“Our hope is to create opportunities for Palestinians, both here at home and abroad, who continue to experience the impacts of the Nakba, to tell their stories,” Tlaib said. “The trauma and painful loss of their connections to family, villages they grew up in, and so much more needs to be acknowledged, not only for healing, but also to create an honest pathway for peace.”

The event organizers told The Hill that Nakba has “shaped the lives of each and every Palestinian and is the root cause of injustices” that Palestinians face now.

“Far-right Kevin McCarthy attempted to once again silence Palestinians and our supporters. But we were not silenced,” they said.

The event was reportedly set to include groups that oppose Israel and support the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement, which calls for economic actions to be taken against Israel. 

The invitation for the event criticizes “Zionist militias” and the Israel Defense Forces, accusing them of “violently” expelling about three-quarters of all Palestinians from their homes. After Israel won a war that broke out with Arab nations and Palestinians in 1948, many Palestinians either fled their homes or were expelled. 

The organizations that are involved in the event include Jewish Voice for Peace Action, Americans for Justice in Palestine Action, U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights and the Virginia Coalition for Human Rights. 

Jewish Voice for Peace, an organization that opposes the existence of Israel, states on its websites that it is guided by “a vision of justice, equality and freedom for all.” The Anti-Defamation League identifies it as a “radical anti-Israel activist group that advocates for a complete economic, cultural and academic boycott of the state of Israel.” 

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) told reporters that he applauds McCarthy for holding an event on the U.S.-Israel relationship. 

“We’ve been such tight allies throughout their existence, and we’ve seen attacks and growing antisemitism even here in Congress, and we’ve been very vocal, speaking out against any antisemitism,” he said. “But I think it’s important that we continue to celebrate share with all of our members why it’s so important that we have this special bond with Israel.” 

Scalise said some elements of the Democratic Party have become “vocal” against Israel. 

“We’re going to stand out against any kind of antisemitism or any kind of attacks against Israel, and I applaud the speaker for having a briefing that all members are able to come to,” he said. 

Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.), the chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, criticized McCarthy for canceling Tlaib’s event, telling Jewish Insider it was “unfortunate.” He noted that the majority party in the body controls office space and therefore can block a group from holding an event, but he believes people should be able to share their ideas freely. 

“People should be allowed to congregate, to have discussions, to express their viewpoints and ideas. That’s who we are,” he said. 

Aguilar said this does not mean that he agrees with “everything every member in my caucus says, or [with] every sponsored group or organization that comes here says.” He added that he did not know who the official sponsors, speakers and organizations scheduled for the event were.

— Updated at 10:29 p.m.