Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) on Wednesday criticized US President Joe Biden and accused him of “taking the side of occupation” in the tensions between Israel and Gaza, The Hill reports.

Her comments came shortly after Biden spoke with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and told him that “Israel has a right to defend itself when you have thousands of rockets flying into your territory.”

Ocasio-Cortez said in response that Biden’s remarks do not recognize that the events that led to the latest round of rocket attacks dehumanize Palestinians and imply that “the US will look the other way at human rights violations.”

“Blanket statements like these [with] 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 tweeted.

“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,” continued Ocasio-Cortez.

Ocasio-Cortez criticized Israel several days ago in response to the Muslim Arab riots and violence against Jewish civilians in Jerusalem.

“We stand in solidarity with the Palestinian residents of Sheikh Jarrah in East Jerusalem. Israeli forces are forcing families from their homes during Ramadan and inflicting violence. It is inhumane and the US must show leadership in safeguarding the human rights of Palestinians,” she tweeted at the time.

“From the paramilitary violence in Colombia and Shiekh Jarrah, to the detention of children on our own border and the militarization of US police departments, the United States must seriously assess its role in state violence and condition aid,” she added.

Ocasio-Cortez has come under fire for several controversial statements involving Israel.

In 2019, the freshman Congresswoman criticized Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu in an interview with Israel’s Channel 12 News while arguing that criticizing Israel’s policies is not being anti-Semitic.

In a previous radio interview, Ocasio-Cortez said that Israel is “criminal” in its treatment of Palestinian Arabs, whom she said have no other choice but to “riot” against the Jewish state.

Before that, she said that cutting military and economic aid to Israel as a way to signal opposition to Israeli policies should be “on the table.”

(c) 2021 Arutz Sheva, All Rights Reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info).

—-

This content is published through a licensing agreement with Acquire Media using its NewsEdge technology.

Rating: 1.8/5. From 13 votes.
Please wait...