Following a devastating surprise attack on Israel by Hamas, which is supported by the Palestinians, in which more than 1,100 people died, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) faced significant opposition from a far-left political group.
According to a post on the X platform that has since been removed, the Democratic Socialists of America in New York City advertised the rally that took place the day after the attack, claiming to be “in solidarity with the Palestinian people and their right to resist 75 years of occupation and apartheid.”
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.
However, one of the most left-wing members of Congress at the time did not agree with the choice to partially fund the domestically developed Iron Dome anti-missile system Israel is using to defend its cities and citizens from incoming rockets and missiles fired by Hamas forces.
For instance, after Hamas last week sent hundreds of fighters into Israeli villages to murder citizens and kidnap hostages in a surprise onslaught that killed more than 1,100 people, the opposition by AOC came back into the spotlight.
“AOC” sobbed on the congressional floor in September 2021 after members approved a bill giving Israel $1 billion to continue developing the Iron Dome system.
The money was approved by 420 to 9 votes, which indicates that AOC’s party as a whole supported it as well.
People Magazine spoke with her about the event a week after the vote. The New York ‘Squad’ member alleged that she was angry and dissatisfied “that the bill was ‘rushed’ to a vote through a process that prevented the legislation from receiving the ‘usually-necessary committee debate, markup, or regular order.'”
Additionally, she lamented that “Congress should take greater scrutiny with all military funding across the world” and that “the United States has handed unconditional aid to the Israeli government for far too long.”
Yes, I cried, AOC said. “I grieved at the utter lack of concern for the people affected by these decisions,I wept at an institution choosing a path of maximum volatility and minimum consideration for its own political convenience.
“And I wept at the complete lack of regard I often feel our party has to its most vulnerable and endangered members and communities — because the death threats and dangerous vitriol we’d inevitably receive by rushing such a sensitive, charged, and under-considered vote weren’t worth delaying it for even a few hours to help us do the work necessary to open a conversation of understanding.”