House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) canceled a Palestinian “Nakba Day” event headlined by Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) at the U.S. Capitol and replaced it with an event marking 75 years of Israel-U.S. ties, World Israel News reported on Tuesday.
The original event, which was slated to be held at a 400-person auditorium at the Capitol Building, would commemorate the Nakba — Arabic for “catastrophe” — which condemns the founding of the Jewish state in May of 1948.
“This event in the US Capitol is canceled. Instead, I will host a bipartisan discussion to honor the 75th anniversary of the US-Israel relationship,” McCarthy tweeted on Tuesday, WIN reported.
Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said he was “grateful Speaker McCarthy took rapid action. There’s room to talk about the issues – but not at an event co-sponsored by people who traffic in anti-Semitism and hate.”
The event, titled “Nakba 75 & The Palestinian People,” was organized in collaboration with several organizations that support the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel, including Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), as well as NGOs that have expressed support for terrorism, the WIN report stated.
The ADL has condemned JVP as a “radical anti-Israel activist group” that honors terrorists.
Tlaib, the daughter of Palestinian immigrants, routinely refers to Israel as an apartheid state and has made statements that perpetuate the anti-Semitic stereotype of Jews controlling the world.
WIN reported that last week, Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Gilad Erdan said Tlaib’s “ignorance and hate toward Jews and Israel know no bounds” after she posted a tweet about the Nakba, calling Israel an “apartheid state” that “was born out of violence and the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians”.
“Tlaib’s ignorance and hate toward Jews and Israel know no bounds. The facts are clear: the Arabs rejected the U.N.’s resolution to establish a Jewish state and started a war to annihilate it,” wrote Erdan, referencing the fact that in 1948, five Arab armies attacked the nascent state, with full support from the Palestinian leadership, WIN reported.
“Palestinian leadership is leading its people to catastrophe by inciting hate/terror and rejecting peace,” Erdan wrote.
Several weeks ago McCarthy visited Israel with a bipartisan delegation of members of Congress, including a senior member of the Democratic Party, Steny Hoyer.
“Israel, you are a blessed nation,” McCarthy wrote in the Western Wall visitor book, adding: “Our shared values unite a bond that will never break.”
McCarthy said the U.S. relationship with the Jewish state remained “as important as ever,” adding that his visit was special as it came on the heels of Israel’s 75th Independence Day, as was reported by WIN.
McCarthy late last month expressed his backing for the Netanyahu government amid an ongoing national debate in Israel over the judicial reform initiative.
“Prime Minister Netanyahu is an Israeli patriot, statesman and most importantly, a great friend of the United States,” McCarthy wrote, according to the WIN report. “Free societies have vigorous and open debate. Israel is no exception.
“I support Netanyahu, and America’s support for Israel’s strong, vibrant democracy is unwavering,” he added.
In an exclusive interview with the Israel Hayom newspaper in Jerusalem during his visit, McCarthy said, “I don’t know what the exact timing is, but if it happens, I will invite him to come and meet me at the House of Representatives.”
“He (Netanyahu) is a dear friend, and as the prime minister of a country with which we have the best ties, I think the visit should happen soon,” McCarthy told the news outlet, WIN reported.
McCarthy noted that he, too, has not met with President Biden since he took office 80 days ago, Israel Hayom reported. “He treats me the same way. Apparently, we (McCarthy and Netanyahu) are in good company,” he quipped.
As to Biden extending a formal invitation to Netanyahu to meet with him at the White House, McCarthy said, “I think that this is already too long a period. He should invite Netanyahu soon. I invited President Herzog to come and give a speech before a joint feedback of the House of Representatives and the Senate on the occasion of Israel’s 75th Independence Day, during the month of June. Bibi should also come to America, and if the President won’t invite him – I will.”
During his historic speech before the Knesset at the beginning of May, McCarthy said that “Israel’s rebirth is nothing less than a modern miracle. The source of that miracle is the people of Israel. In those dark days thousands of years ago when the Jewish people were scattered from Israel, the Prophet Isaiah predicted a brighter future to come. “Inspired by God, he shared this command: ‘arise, shine, for thy light is come.’
He added that, “My friends, today, 75 years after declaring independence, Israel’s light shines brighter than ever. Despite the constant threat of terrorism, Israel remains the first and only democracy in the Middle East. Israel’s economy once relied on rationing for food and oil. Today, Israel is ranked as the 4th best performing economy among developed nations. Its market economy is dynamic, and its remarkable people are bursting with talent and new ideas. Its innovative high-tech sector has rightly earned Israel the nickname the ‘startup nation.’
“It was Theodore Herzl, the founder of modern Zionism, who predicted, ‘give us a piece of land to hold on to, and the rest we will do ourselves. Herzl was right. The story of Israel is a story of survival against the perils of war and terrorism. It’s a story of pioneers fulfilling a sacred promise, inspired by a commitment to freedom, family, and faith in God.”
He added that, “Congress has supported the dramatic breakthroughs of the Abraham Accords. Last week, we passed a bipartisan resolution celebrating your 75th Anniversary and commending the Abraham Accords. It states in absolute terms that the US stands with Israel, supports the Abraham Accords, and upholds that Israel has every right to defend itself. Congress stands ready to work with Israel to broaden and deepen those Accords – working for a sustainable peace with all of Israel’s neighbors.”
On the issue of Iranian aggression McCarthy said, “As long as I am Speaker, America will continue to support full funding for security assistance in Israel. Together, we will defeat Iran’s precision-guided missiles, drones, terror tunnels, and cyberattacks. And as we stand shoulder to shoulder against Iran’s regional aggression, we must also remain resolute in our commitment that Iran will never acquire nuclear weapons. As we pursue peace in this region, we must also expand the economic cooperation between our two countries. In our systems, innovation and creativity are our greatest allies, our greatest sources of strength, our greatest fuel for prosperity.”
In terms of the incessant cognitive war on Israel through the means of insidious propaganda, McCarthy said, “The final priority for the future I want to discuss is ending efforts to delegitimize and discriminate against Israel. Whether it’s the toxic Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions Movement or the constant attacks on Israel at the United Nations, prejudice against Israel on the world stage is damaging and destructive. There is no clearer example than the U.N Human Rights Council – which has passed over 90 anti-Israel resolutions since 2006, yet has turned a blind eye to true human rights violations by Iran, North Korea, and China.”
McCarthy added, “My colleagues and I in Congress will continue to stand with Israel. And we will increase pressure on the United Nations to end these outrageous attacks. As we take the next steps in enhancing and bolstering our ongoing diplomatic and security dialogues, I want Congress and the Knesset to work together as closely as possible. As Speaker, I will continue to push for a formal Inter-parliamentary Group between the United States and Israel. But I will not wait to start more collaboration between the House of Representatives and the Knesset. Therefore, I will establish a House-Knesset Parliamentary Friendship Group – so we can continue to strengthen our bonds, build mutual understanding as elected representatives, and work better together – democracy to democracy.”
The Speaker of the House also said, “We will engage more directly with the Knesset, travel to Israel, strengthen existing relationships and forge new ones. Similarly, we will host Knesset members who wish to travel to the United States and do the same. This will be part of the next chapter of US-Israel relations, and I look forward to working closer with Speaker Ohana in this endeavor.”
Bernie Sanders rescheduled it in the Senate.
Finally, some real support for Israel coming from the US. Long overdue, in my opinion.