Ocasio-Cortez, a member of the “Squad,” has described the conflict in Gaza between Israel and Hamas as a “genocide” and has called for an immediate ceasefire in the war that began after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023. In an Instagram story on Thursday, she responded to a question from a user, defending her position against criticism that she isn’t supportive enough of the Palestinian cause.
“I am an elected official in the U.S. government. That is a fact. No matter how opposed I am to what is happening, criticism will be there. I get that. But you are correct. I have one of the strongest vote records in Congress on Palestinian human rights and voting against bloated U.S. military budgets (both overall and against unconditional aid to the Israeli gov),” Ocasio-Cortez stated.
She added, “And in a time when AIPAC has dedicated $100 million to booting out members of Congress who stood for Palestinian human rights this year and successfully unseated two, that matters. We need to grow and defend our ranks to do more.”
Ocasio-Cortez also suggested that disinformation was causing some pro-Palestinian activists to believe she wasn’t a strong enough advocate for their cause.
“There is a LOT of disinformation going around. A LOT of people are getting ‘news’ from random viral social media posts (which given how censored this issue has been in mainstream media for so long, I understand, but not all of it is legit). Please understand that there is a lot of nefarious stuff getting amplified along with the legitimate stuff too,” she said.
The congresswoman recounted being confronted while in Chicago for the Democratic National Convention earlier this month by someone who accused her of not labeling the war a “genocide,” despite her having done so publicly.
“Disinformation hurts movements from the inside and discredits them from the outside. It’s important to check. It’s everywhere,” Ocasio-Cortez remarked.
As the most mainstream member of the “Squad,” Ocasio-Cortez received a speaking slot at last week’s DNC. She criticized the DNC for not allowing a Palestinian speaker to address the convention, particularly after the family of an American-Israeli hostage held by Hamas spoke at the event.
