Rashida Tlaib introduces US resolution recognising the Palestinian Nakba

Progressive Democrat Rashida Tlaib put forth a resolution Monday for the recognition of the Nakba, the commemoration of the 1948 expulsion of around half the population of Palestinians with the establishment of the state of 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,” the congresswoman representing Detroit tweeted Monday, starting a thread in which she explains what the Nakba is and why she’s introducing the resolution.

“The 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.  #Nakba74!” she tweeted, with an article explaining the history of the events.

In a thread of two more tweets, she thanked her fellow progressive congressional cosponsors, Marie Newman, Betty McCollum, Ilhan Omar, Cori Bush and Jamaal Bowman.

The responses to Tlaib’s thread were about evenly split between those who supported the resolution and those who disagreed with it. Some, though not unsupportive of the resolution itself, responded with their concerns about highlighting such a sensitive issue so close to the midterms, with Democrats seen as vulnerable to losing seats in the House.

Though the resolution is unlikely to pass, given that public sympathy toward Palestinians in Congress tends to be limited to a small group of progressive lawmakers.

However, the symbolism is important, with the recent death of death of veteran Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, whom witnesses say was killed by Israeli gunfire while on duty.

Moreover, the resolution could be a way for Tlaib to highlight the growing sympathy for Palestinians in Congress.