WASHINGTON, Thursday, May 16, 2024 (WAFA) - Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib introduced a resolution on Wednesday to recognize the Palestinian Nakba, the term referring to the mass expulsion of Palestinians from their homeland during the creation of Israel in 1948.

"The Nakba never ended. Today we are witnessing the Israeli apartheid government carry out genocide in Gaza, a campaign to erase Palestinians from existence," Tlaib said in a statement.

Over 1.7 million Palestinians have been displaced from their homes and over 35,000 have been killed, Tlaib said, adding children are starving to death and the entire population of Gaza is on the brink of famine.

Mass graves with over 390 bodies were recently discovered at Nasser and Al Shifa hospitals, she said.

"As we mark the 76th anniversary of the Nakba, we honor all the lives lost since the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians began, and the Palestinians who were forced from their homes and violently displaced from their land.

"This immense trauma, including the loss of their loved ones and connections to the communities they grew up in, needs to be acknowledged. True peace must include the presence of justice," Tlaib added.

Tlaib’s resolution, which commemorates the 76th anniversary of the Nakba -- which means "catastrophe" in Arabic -- and promotes better education and understanding of this well-documented historical event, also calls on Congress to reinstate support for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA).

The resolution is cosponsored by Congress members Ilhan Omar, Cori Bush and Andre Carson.

K.T