Rashida Tlaib Vows to Defy Speaker McCarthy And Hold Nakba Day Event at the Capitol: ‘We Will Not Be Silenced’

Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) clapped back at current House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) after the speaker intended to block an event sponsored by the congresswoman.

In a statement Wednesday, the “Squad: member said: “Speaker McCarthy wants to rewrite history and erase the existence and truth of the Palestinian people, but he has failed to do so. 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.”

The response comes after the House speaker moved late Tuesday to block al-Nakba from unfolding.

“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.”

McCarthy will instead lead a bipartisan briefing celebrating the 75th anniversary of the U.S.-Israel relationship.

The Michigan Democrat stated that she intends with moving forward with the event, although she did not specify the time and location.

“We fully plan on moving forward with this event and we will continue to ensure that Palestinian voices are heard. We will not be silenced,” Tlaib said in the statement.

The event’s invitation states: “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 is called “Nakba 75 & the Palestinian People” and was intended 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.”

The event was organized by groups such as the Institute for Middle East Understanding, Americans for Justice in Palestine Action, Project48, Democracy for the Arab World Now, US Campaign for Palestinian Rights, American Friends Service Committee, Virginia Coalition for Human Rights, Emgage Action and Jewish Voice for Peace Action.