Calls for Palestinian-Focused Permanent Exhibit at Human Rights Museum Sparks Controversy, Anti-Israel Fears

The Canadian Museum for Human Rights is seen on the day of its opening ceremonies, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, on Sept. 18, 2014. The Canadian Press/John Woods

Pro-Palestinian activists are making a renewed push for the Canadian Museum for Human Rights to install an exhibit highlighting the plight of Arab-Palestinian refugees, while mainstream Jewish organizations see the attempt as public political point-scoring and propaganda.

The controversy surrounds what Palestinians refer to as “Nakba” (Arabic for catastrophe)—the displacement of some 700,000 Arab-Palestinians during the 1948 war between Israel and five neighbouring Arab states.