McCarthy nixes Tlaib's anti-Israel event on Capitol Hill

The California Republican reserved the space in the U.S. Capitol building where Tlaib planned to host her event. 

Published: May 10, 2023 2:10pm

Updated: May 10, 2023 2:12pm

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has effectively cancelled an anti-Israel event planned by progressive Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib.

The California Republican reserved the space in the U.S. Capitol building where Tlaib planned to host her event. 

McCarthy tweeted Tuesday that he will host his event, in the Capitol Visitor Center, celebrating 75 years of US-Israeli ties.

"It’s wrong for members of Congress to traffic in anti-Semitic tropes about Israel," McCarthy told the Washington Free Beacon. "As long as I’m speaker, we are going to support Israel’s right to self-determination and self-defense, unequivocally and in a bipartisan fashion."

McCarthy in just the past several days went to Israel and pledged U.S. support.

Tlaib is a Michigan congresswoman and a Muslim.

She is the the only member of Congress who opposes Israel’s self-definition as a Jewish state, according to the Israel Times

Tlaib intended to host  the event to commemorate the Nakba – meaning "catastrophe" – a Palestinian term used for the founding of Israel in 1948.

Palestinians mark Nakba Day each year on May 15.

Among the groups that had planned to attend the event were several groups that support boycotting Israel.

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