Rashida Tlaib brings resolution in US House to recognise Palestinian Nakba

US Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib has introduced a resolution to recognise the Palestinian Nakba (or catastrophe) –– the forced expulsion of at least 750,000 Palestinians by then Zionist paramilitaries in 1948 from historic Palestine that lead to the creation of modern Israel. 

"Today, I introduced a resolution recognising the Nakba (catastrophe), where 400 Palestinian towns and villages were destroyed, over 700,000 Palestinians uprooted from their homes, and made refugees," Tlaib tweeted on Monday after introducing her resolution to the US House of Representatives.

The Palestinian people since the Nakba have been living "under oppression and violent racism," she said, adding, "Nakba is well-documented and continues to play out today."

"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."

The resolution was co-sponsored by Tlaib's fellow Congresswomen Ilhan Omar, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Betty McCollum, and Marie Newman.

'Historic' decision

Tlaib's decision was quickly hailed by the Institute for Middle East Understanding (IMEU), a pro-Palestinian non-profit advocacy organisation, calling the resolution "historic."

IMEU said 75 percent of the Palestinian population has been ethnically cleansed and more than 400 town villages have been destroyed, paving the way for the establishment of the state of Israel.

The US Campaign for Palestinian Rights, an advocacy group, hailed the measure, saying, "For far too long, the Palestinian experience has been ignored by Washington, and Palestinians have been gaslit for trying to tell their story."

"We must shift US foreign policy away from enabling Israel's ongoing displacement of Palestinians with military funding—and toward accountability."

Millions await returning to historic Palestine

Nakba resulted from the defeat of several Arab countries in the first Arab-Israeli war in 1948. It is observed annually by Palestinians and human rights advocates across the world.

Arabs in general and Palestinians in specific often mark May 15 as a reminder of their collective suffering, their ancestral home, the continued occupation of the West Bank and the blockaded Gaza.

Palestinians legally hold the "right of return" to their own lands, which are now considered Israeli territory, according to the UN General Assembly Resolution 194 of 1948.

Millions of Nakba survivors are living with their descendants in refugee camps in blockaded Gaza, occupied West Bank and other neighbouring countries.

Today, there are an estimated five million Palestinian refugees across the Middle East.