Rashida Tlaib introduced resolution to Recognize the Nakba
By: Malorie Lewis / Arab America Contributing Writer
On May 16th, 2022, Representative Rashida Tlaib (D-Michigan, 13th District) introduced a resolution to US House of Representatives calling for U.S. recognition of the event known as the Nabka. The Nakba was a catastrophic event that resulted in the displacement of over 700,00 Palestinian natives. Actually, the Nabka was a direct result of the infamous “partition plan” resolution of the United Nations General Assembly—Resolution 181 of November 29, 1947.
Following the fall of the Ottoman Empire, the lands previously belonging to the Ottomans were sectioned up and distributed amongst the victors of the war. Attempted colonial endeavors fractured the state of the world as it was known. In fact, the aftermath of WWII and the failed colonial endeavors caused many of the global crises faced today, such as Palestine/Israel, India/Kashmir, and Hong Kong/China.
H. RES. 1123
House Resolution 1123, was introduced just a day after Palestinians marked the Nakba’s 74th anniversary. Joining Rep Tlaib as cosigners of the resolution was Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rep. Ilhan Omar, Rep. Cori Bush, Rep. Jamaal Bowman, Rep. Betty McCollum and Rep. Marie Newman.
Today, I introduced a resolution recognizing the Nakba (catastrophe), where 400 Palestinian towns and villages were destroyed, over 700,000 Palestinians uprooted from their homes, and made refugees.
Rashida Tlaib via Twitter
Rep Tlaib introduced H. RES. 1123 , which gives a brief history of the Nabka and the facts behind the displacement of over 700,000 Palestinians in the wake of the establishment of the State of Israel. It also briefly discusses the violations human rights and international law. It then lays the five goals of the resolution which are as follows:
- “commemorate the Nakba through official recognition and remembrance;”
- “reject efforts to enlist, engage, or otherwise associate the United States Government with denial of the Nakba;”
- “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;”
- “continue to support the provision of social service to Palestinian refugees through the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East; and”
- “support the implementation of Palestinian refugees’ rights as enshrined in United Nations General Assembly Resolution 194 and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.”
Significance of the Nakba resolution
“We must acknowledge that the humanity of Palestinians is being denied when folks refuse to acknowledge the war crimes and human rights violations in apartheid Israel.”
Rashida Tlaib
While this resolution will most likely not pass, it is a historically a significant moment. Why? Well, the Nakba is rarely ever discussed in mainstream American politics. Israel has historically enjoyed widespread support from the American legislators and presidents from both major parties since its inception. In fact, the United States was the first country to recognize the state of Israel.
Turning Tides in US Opinion
In the last few years the narrative surrounding the Palestinian Israeli conflict has shifted slightly. Rightfully so, the United States is no longer able to turn a blind eye to the plight of the Palestinians and the egregious human rights violations committed by Israel. In 2021, we witnessed a wave of protests through out the United States calling for Palestinian human rights, the condemnation of the apartheid state, and an end to the ongoing occupation. The waves coming in the wake of the bombing of Gaza in May 2021, the bombing of the Media Tower in Palestine, the viral video of the American colonial settler in Sheikh Jarrah, and now the murder of Shireen Abu Aqleh by IDF forces.
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Following the bombing of Gaza in 2021, Senator Bernie Sanders introduced a resolution to cut funding to Israel’s defense budget. Many democrats supported this with the hope that the pressure of defense funding would stop the violence in Gaza. Unfortunately, 259 Palestinians were killed as a result of the airstrikes, among them 66 children and 41 women. More than 2,200 Palestinians suffered various kinds of serious and life-threatening injuries before a ceasefire finally initiated.
US Support for Israel vs. Palestinians
Despite the pro-Israeli sentiment in the United States, continual violence in Palestine is drawing the eye of Americans and changing opinions. While the rising trend for Palestinian sympathy is growing slowly, support for Israel has fallen. Even more interesting is the numbers for Palestinian support by age range. Gallup found that there is a higher support for the Palestinian’s with the younger generation falling between 18 and 34 years of age. The numbers do not lie, sitting at 37% of ages 18 to 34 support Palestinians, compared to the US average of 26%. The statistical change is of course not huge, but the significance of the trend is!
With legislation like the Nabka resolution its possible to see the growing change in opinion of Israeli politics in the American Government as well. The tides are turning slowly away from support of Israel as the human rights violations, war crimes, and apartheid system become more visible to the average citizen. This is the true significance of the continued legislation initiatives being put forth by our young political leaders. Generational growth is certainly the catalyst for change that we desperately need to see. Unfortunately we have a long hard road ahead before that change comes to fruition.
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