Palestinians mark 74th Nakba amid anger over journalist’s killing

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORhO8xxeP7M


Palestinians take part in a rally marking the 74th anniversary of Nakba or catastrophe, in Ramallah in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on May 15, 2022

Palestinians mark 74th Nakba amid anger over journalist's killing
Solemn anniversary comes at a time when many are angered by the killing of Al Jazeera veteran journalist Shireen Abu Akleh.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/5/15/palestinians-commemorate-74th-nakba-day-live-updates

On May 15, 1948, Israel was established as a Jewish-majority state at the expense of the forced expulsion of about 750,000 Palestinians.

The day has subsequently been commemorated annually as Nakba Day.

The word "Nakba" means "catastrophe" in Arabic, and refers to the systematic ethnic cleansing of two-thirds of the Palestinian population at the time by Zionist paramilitaries between 1947-1949 and the near-total destruction of Palestinian society.

Zionist forces had taken more than 78 percent of historic Palestine, ethnically cleansed and destroyed about 530 villages and cities, and killed about 15,000 Palestinians in a series of mass atrocities, including more than 70 massacres.

This year marks 74 years of Al-Nakba, or the Palestinian experience of dispossession and loss of a homeland. The anniversary comes at a time where many are angered by the killing of prominent Al Jazeera veteran journalist Shireen Abu Akleh.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=My4ohlQfRuk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDRhuWvj948

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Rashida Tlaib introduces historic Nakba resolution
Rep. Rashida Tlaib has introduced a historic resolution acknowledging the Nakba, which calls on the U.S. government to officially recognize the event and honor the rights of Palestinian refugees.
https://mondoweiss.net/2022/05/rashida-tlaib-introduces-historic-nakba-resolution/?utm_source=mailpoet&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily-email-hgs-mailpoet

Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) has introduced a historic resolution recognizing the Palestinian Nakba. 

"As the assassination of Shireen Abu Akleh last week made all too clear, the violence and war crimes are an ongoing and ever-present assault on the existence and humanity of the Palestinian people," said the congresswoman in a statement. "The Israeli apartheid government's ongoing ethnic cleansing seeks to degrade Palestinian humanity and break the will of the people to be free. Fortunately, as Palestinians and their allies prove time and time again, we will persist no matter the circumstances until peace, freedom, equity and respect for all people are secured and protected."

https://twitter.com/RepRashida/status/1526323487543001088?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1526323487543001088%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fmondoweiss.net%2F2022%2F05%2Frashida-tlaib-introduces-historic-nakba-resolution%2F

The Nakba (which means "catastrophe" in Arabic) refers to the systematic ethnic cleansing and destruction of Palestinian society carried out by Zionist forces beginning in 1947-1949. As Tlaib pointed out on Twitter, 400 Palestinian towns were destroyed and more than 700,000 Palestinians were displaced. The legislation was introduced to commemorate the 74th anniversary of the tragedy.

In addition to acknowledging the Nakba, the resolution calls on the U.S. government to officially recognize the event, discourage denial of it, and encourage education of its facts. It also asks for the rights of Palestinian refugees to be honored and specifically cites United Nations General Assembly Resolution 194, which enshrined the right of return for Palestinians.

So far Tlaib's effort has six cosponsors: Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Jamaal Bowman (D-NY), Cori Bush (D-MO), Ilhan Omar (D-MN),  Marie Newman (D-IL), and Betty McCollum (D-MN).

The resolution was celebrated by human rights groups and Palestine advocates. "We are proud to endorse Congresswoman Tlaib's principled Nakba Day resolution," said US Campaign for Palestinian Rights (USCPR) Manager of Policy and Advocacy Campaigns .  Sana Siddiq in a statement. "To acknowledge the historic and ongoing injustice of Israel's ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people is a vital first step. By recognizing this history, we can shift U.S. foreign policy toward justice and accountability."

"With this historic resolution, Rep. Tlaib and her colleagues have given a voice to Palestinian Nakba survivors and their descendants who have been living in exile and denied the right to return to their homes for 74 years", said Director of Project48 Nadia Saah "By calling on the U.S. government to commemorate the Nakba and address the historic and ongoing injustice of land theft and the displacement of Palestinian families, they are paving ground towards a durable future rooted in justice, equality and return."

The resolution has already been criticized by some pro-Israel voices, including the lobbying group Democratic Majority for Israel (DMFI), who essentially denied that the event ever took place on Twitter. DMFI's founder is a strategic advisor for Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, and group board member Archie Gottesman has called for a genocide in Gaza.

In 2016 former Secretary of State John Kerry became the first high-ranking U.S. official to acknowledge the Nakba. "When Israel celebrates its 70th anniversary in 2018, the Palestinians will mark a very different anniversary: 70 years since what they call the 'Nakba,' or catastrophe," he said in a speech attacking Israel's settlement policy. However, just months before Kerry's comments the Obama administration finalized a deal to give Israel $38 billion in military aid over a ten year period.