Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez slammed President Biden for making “blanket” statements that “dehumanize” Palestinians after he said Wednesday that Israel had the “right to defend itself” against Gaza’s rocket attacks.
After speaking with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the conflict between Israel and Hamas, Mr. Biden told reporters: “My expectation and hope is that this will be closing down sooner than later. But Israel has a right to defend itself when you have thousands of rockets flying into your territory.”
Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, a New York Democrat, fired off a pair of tweets accusing Mr. Biden of siding with “the occupation.”
“Blanket statements like these w/ little context or acknowledgement of what precipitated this cycle of violence — namely, the expulsions of Palestinians and attacks on Al Aqsa — dehumanize Palestinians & imply the US will look the other way at human rights violations. It’s wrong,” she wrote.
Al Aqsa refers to a mosque in Jerusalem considered by Muslims to be the third-holiest in the world.
“By only stepping in to name Hamas’ actions — which are condemnable — & refusing to acknowledge the rights of Palestinians, Biden reinforces the false idea that Palestinians instigated this cycle of violence,” she added. “This is not neutral language. It takes a side — the side of occupation.”
Ms. Ocasio-Cortez’s comments came after days of violent escalation in the region, where Israel said it is readying troops for ground operations in Gaza as Palestinian militants continue to launch hundreds of rocket and mortar attacks.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday the campaign “will take more time.”
Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, a supporter of the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) campaign against Israel, came under fire in 2018 when she decried the “occupation of Palestine” during a PBS interview, but when asked to describe what that meant, she admitted she’s “not the expert on geopolitics on this issue.”
By only stepping in to name Hamas’ actions – which are condemnable – & refusing to acknowledge the rights of Palestinians, Biden reinforces the false idea that Palestinians instigated this cycle of violence.
This is not neutral language. It takes a side – the side of occupation.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) May 12, 2021
