A planned event in the US Capitol related to the anniversary of creation of Israel and mass displacement of Palestinians which would have included Democratic Representatives Rashida Tlaib has been cancelled by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

Tlaib, who has Palestinian roots, was scheduled to appear as a guest at the event commemorating the "Nakba" or catastrophe, when nearly 800,000 Palestinians were driven out of their homes by then Zionist Israeli paramilitaries in 1948 and onward.

"This event in the US Capitol is cancelled. Instead, I will host a bipartisan discussion to honour the 75th anniversary of the US-Israel relationship," said McCarthy, a Republican, on Twitter.

In a statement, Tlaib pushed back against McCarthy's decision, saying he aimed to erase the truth and existence of Palestinian people but had failed to do so.

"This event is planned to bring awareness about the Nakba and create space for Palestinian Americans who experienced the Nakba firsthand to tell their stories of trauma and survival," said the Michigan representative .

McCarthy's office provided a statement to CNN in which he said it was inappropriate for congressional members to propagate "anti-Semitic tropes" regarding Israel.

"As long as I'm speaker, we are going to support Israel's right to self-determination and self-defence, unequivocally and in a bipartisan fashion," said McCarthy.

McCarthy visited Israel earlier this month and addressed its parliament, the Knesset.

Nakba Day

Following the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were forced out of their homes, paving the way for the establishment of Israel.

Every year on May 15, Arabs in general and Palestinians in particular mark Nakba Day as a reminder of their collective suffering, their ancestral home, the continued occupation of the West Bank and the blockaded Gaza.

Palestinians legally hold the "right of return" to their own lands, which are now controlled by Israel, according to the 1948 UN General Assembly Resolution 194.

Millions of Nakba survivors continue to live with their descendants in refugee camps in blockaded Gaza, occupied West Bank and other neighbouring countries.

This year UN will commemorate Nakba Day for the first time in its history.