After making comments following a pro-Palestinian rally in the Big Apple just one day after a deadly sneak attack on Israel that left 1,000 people dead, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), a political group she has previously identified with, came under fire from the leader of New York City’s Democratic Socialists of America.
In a now-deleted post on the X platform, the NYC DSA claimed to be “in solidarity with the Palestinian people and their right to resist 75 years of occupation and apartheid,” in order to promote the march that took place the day after the attack.
According to Politico Playbook, AOC addressed the audience with comments that the DSA found offensive.
“It shouldn’t be difficult to put an end to antisemitism and hatred when we witness it. This is a fundamental principle of solidarity, she continued.
“In this tragic time, the intolerance and callousness that were displayed in Times Square on Sunday were intolerable and detrimental. It also didn’t speak for the hundreds of New Yorkers who are able to condemn both the horrible atrocities committed by Hamas against defenceless civilians and the severe injustices and violence Palestinians endure as a result of occupation, she continued.
On Monday, Nadia Tykulsker, a member of the NYC DSA steering committee, responded, telling Politico Playbook that the march was “at the request of a coalition partner because we have a same vision for the city.
“It is shameful that politicians in our state are exploiting this moment to target a socialist organization and divide the vibrant left in New York — whose sole aim in politics is to grow the power of working people for freedom against exploitation and oppression — instead of focusing our attention where it should be: on the atrocities and tragic loss of life in the region,” she added.
Karine Jean-Pierre, the press secretary for the White House, criticised members of the far-left “Squad” at the briefing on Tuesday. She referred to their comments regarding the conflict between Israel and Hamas as “wrong,” “repugnant,” and “disgraceful.”
Reps. Cori Bush, Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez all made statements over the weekend, and when asked what the administration thought of them, Jean-Pierre responded, “We’re going to continue to be very clear. They are despicable, we think they’re wrong, and we think they’re dishonourable.
“Terrorists who mercilessly murdered, raped, and abducted hundreds and hundreds of Israelis deserve our utmost condemnation. There can be no ambiguity in that. Here, there is only one side. There are no opposing parties, KJP continued.
Tlaib and Bush warned that the US should quit supporting Israel during the weekend war between Israel and Hamas, which infuriated many people.
“I grieve the Palestinian and Israeli lives lost yesterday, today, and every day,” Tlaib’s statement stated. “This heartbreaking cycle of violence will continue as long as our nation provides billions in unconditional funding to support the apartheid government.”
In his speech, Bush said: “As part of achieving a just and lasting peace, we must do our part to stop this violence and trauma by ending U.S. government support for Israeli military occupation and apartheid.”
Ocasio-Cortez and Omar both advocated for a “ceasefire” between Israel and Hamas on the day of the attacks, which resulted in the deaths of hundreds of Israelis and many people from other nations, including women, children, and infants.
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In a social media post on Monday, Omar also seemed to link the Israeli fatalities killed by Hamas terrorists this weekend with the Palestinians killed in the ongoing Israeli response.
She wrote on X, “We must honour the humanity of the innocent Palestinian civilians who have been killed and whose lives are upended, just as we honour the humanity of the hundreds of innocent Israeli civilians and 9 Americans who were killed this weekend.” She went on to highlight the challenges of living in Gaza and accused Israel of operating under cover of darkness.