UN event sparks controversy over Israel's treatment of Palestinians.

Israel's UN ambassador, Gilad Erdan, is urging fellow envoys to boycott the UN-sponsored Palestinian commemoration event for the "Nakba" or "catastrophe" on May 15, which coincides with the 75th anniversary of Israel's modern founding. Erdan called the event "antisemitic" and a "blatant attempt to distort history." The Palestinians say the Nakba commemorates the estimated 700,000 who fled or were forced from their homes, while Mideast experts and historians have documented that many Palestinians left their homes in 1948 and relocated to Arab countries because they followed the direction of Arab leaders and sought to avoid the Arab war against Israel.