Few members of Congress have faced as much criticism for their comments, characterized as misleading, inaccurate, incendiary, and ill-advised, as Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC).
The Democratic “Squad Member” from New York has once again made headlines, this time with a Christmas Eve post that drew comparisons between Palestinians and Jesus, while criticizing Israel for what she described as the “violent occupation” of land historically not belonging to them.
This post has been labeled as promoting “Jew Hate.”
AOC’s flexible interpretation of history has left many shocked, especially considering the well-documented atrocities committed by Palestinian Hamas members against Israeli civilians on October 7.
AOC slammed over Christmas message about Israel-Hamas war: 'Jew hate' https://t.co/EO2x7daswv via @nypost
— Dan Schlossberg (@dan_schlossberg) December 25, 2023
In her Instagram post, AOC presented a distorted version of the biblical narrative, stating, “In the Christmas story, Christ was born in what is now known as Palestine, under the shadow of a government carrying out a massacre of innocents.”
“He was part of a targeted population being indiscriminately killed to protect an unjust leader’s power,” AOC continued. “Mary and Joseph, displaced by violence and forced to flee, became refugees in Egypt with a newborn waiting to one day return home.”
AOC added: “Thousands of years later, right-wing forces are violently occupying Bethlehem as similar stories unfold for today’s Palestinians, so much so that the Christian community in Bethlehem has canceled this year’s Christmas Eve celebrations out of both [fear for their] safety and respect.”
AOC omitted any mention of the fact that the leaders elected by the Palestinians, who continue to receive widespread support, endanger children by storing weapons and establishing military centers in schools, hospitals, and religious facilities. She also failed to address the noteworthy fact that numerous Palestinian civilians celebrated the events of October 7.
@UNLazzarini is right, it's deplorable to see people cheering other people's torture, rape, dismembering, burning alive, and murder, just like we saw palestinians celebrating on Oct 7, have you seen Israelis celebrate anything happening in Gaza since then? #Israel #HamasislSIS https://t.co/D0cMcr2iLI pic.twitter.com/1F9y3ymK9q
— 🇮🇱((((TheJew))))🇮🇱 (@jewishmcjewface) December 14, 2023
AOC continued her Christmas message by stating, “And yet, also today, holy children are still being born in a place of unspeakable violence — for every child born, of any identity and from any place, is sacred. Especially the children of Gaza.”
Notably absent from AOC’s post is any acknowledgment of the hundreds of children who were tragically murdered or kidnapped from Israeli civilian settlements on October 7.
Despite overlooking the historical context that, in the centuries leading up to the birth of Jesus, the term Palestine was synonymous with Israel, and failing to grasp the theological significance of Jesus’ coming as noted in the Bible (John 1; Romans 5), AOC expressed, “The entire story of Christmas and Christ himself is about standing with the poor and powerless, the marginalized and maligned, the refugees and immigrants, the outcast and misunderstood without exception.”
She continued, “This high Christian holiday is about honoring the precious sanctity of a family that, if the story were to unfold today, would be Jewish Palestinians.”
In conclusion, she wished, “Merry Christmas. May there be peace on Earth, amen.”
