Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) speaks during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol December 8, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) accused Israel of killing Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh during a May 19 Instagram Live video and said that there needed to be a “line” drawn over the United States’ funding of Israel.
Abu Akleh was shot in the head during an Israel Defense Force (IDF) raid in the West Bank village of Jenin in response to Palestinian terrorists entering Israel illegally from the village; it is currently unknown whether or not she was shot by Israeli or Palestinian gunfire.
“She was killed by Israeli forces,” Ocasio-Cortez said of the Al Jazeera journalist. “We can’t allow this stuff to be happening with our resources.” She rejected those who argue that she “is picking [Israel] out and treating them differently” because “our tax dollars are part of this. Our resources are a part of this. We can’t even get healthcare in the United States, and we’re funding this.”
On IG live, @AOC suggests cutting military aid to Israel in wake of killing of Shireen Abu Aqleh. "She was killed by Israeli forces. You know, we can't allow this stuff to be happening with our resources.. We can't even get healthcare in the U.S. — and we are funding this." pic.twitter.com/JMbElH7K4M
— Jacob Kornbluh (@jacobkornbluh) May 20, 2022
Ocasio-Cortez’s remarks drew fire from Jewish and pro-Israel groups.
“It’s dangerous to accuse Israel when even the Palestinian coroner has made no determination,” Israel Consul General of New York Asaf Zamir tweeted to Ocasio-Cortez. “This is exactly what leads to more violent antisemitism in NYC. As a new fellow New Yorker, I invite you to meet and discuss.”
Hi @AOC, It's dangerous to accuse Israel when even the Palestinian coroner has made no determination. This is exactly what leads to more violent antisemitism in NYC. As a new fellow New Yorker, I invite you to meet and discuss. Here's what I said about this on @CNN this week: pic.twitter.com/7XGCjicnT5
— Asaf Zamir (@AmbAsafZamir) May 20, 2022
The American Jewish Committee tweeted that the alliance between the U.S. and Israel “creates enormous benefits for both nations and it is vital we keep this relationship strong. @AOC’s claim that military aid to Israel undermines adequate healthcare in the U.S is, at best, a cheap publicity stunt and, at worst, something far more insidious.”
The 🇺🇸-🇮🇱 alliance creates enormous benefits for both nations and it is vital we keep this relationship strong.@AOC's claim that military aid to Israel undermines adequate healthcare in the U.S is, at best, a cheap publicity stunt and, at worst, something far more insidious. https://t.co/L2CpnKeabc
— American Jewish Committee (@AJCGlobal) May 20, 2022
Tel Aviv Institute Fellow Hen Mazzig tweeted, “AOC went on Instagram and claimed that Americans ‘can’t get healthcare’ because of Israel. Scapegoating Jews for the struggles of the day is textbook antisemitism, even if you use Israel as the surrogate. She should apologize immediately — before her words cause hate crimes.”
AOC went on Instagram and claimed that Americans “can’t get healthcare” because of Israel.
Scapegoating Jews for the struggles of the day is textbook antisemitism, even if you use Israel as the surrogate.
She should apologize immediately — before her words cause hate crimes.
— Hen Mazzig (@HenMazzig) May 20, 2022
Human rights lawyer Arsen Ostrovsky, CEO of the International Legal Forum, tweeted that “whenever @AOC starts lecturing on #Israel, this video invariably comes to mind” and shared the viral clip of Ocasio-Cortez acknowledging in a 2018 interview that she is “not the expert” on the “geopolitics” of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Whenever @AOC starts lecturing on #Israel, this video invariably comes to mind: https://t.co/bgD6C7a33z pic.twitter.com/8iBNKSHVQj
— Arsen Ostrovsky (@Ostrov_A) May 20, 2022
More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.