SHAFAQNA– Rashida Tlaib, the first Palestinian Muslim woman in U.S congress, replaced Israel with Palestine on the map of her congressional office in Washington, DC.
One of the founding myths of Israel is the non-existence of the Palestinian people. Tragically this myth served the country to great effect especially in denying the return of refugees (750,000, half the population) to their country following their expulsion in 1948 and in continually hindering the Palestinian people’s progress into a sovereign, independent state. Nothing threatens this myth more than a Palestinian refugee reasserting their identity and offering themselves as a constant reminder of Israel’s past sins. Their mere existence is a menace.
In Washington, where this myth has been exploited to its fullest in the corridors of power, Israel has now come face to face with this historical menace in the shape of a Palestinian refugee, Rashida Tlaib. Given the state of American politics, where Israel enjoys unprecedented support under the Trump administration, it’s hard to think of three things more challenging in serving as a Representative in Capitol Hill than as a Palestinian, Muslim woman. Last week Tlaib became the first with these distinctions to be sworn in to Congress using the Quran, Middle East Monitor reported.
A BuzzFeed reporter, who was touring the congresswoman’s new office, noticed a “slight change” on the map hung on the wall.
One of the pictures posted by the reporter on Twitter revealed that someone, perhaps not Tlaib herself, placed a sticker, with the word Palestine on it, near the location of Israel on the map and accompanied it by an arrow directed to the occupation state’s spot.
Tlaib has said she intends to shake-up Congress, and rein in the US’ “most pro-Israel” president in history, Donald Trump.
The Democrat has already stated her support for the pro-Palestine Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement and said she would lead a delegation to the occupied West Bank.
“Calling out the oppressive policies in Israel, advocating for Palestinians to be respected, and for Israelis and Palestinians alike to have peace and freedom is not antisemitic,” she tweeted in December, albawaba Told.
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