Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is back in the news (although did she ever leave it?) with some disgusting comments she made on Ebro Darden’s hip-hop program “Ebro in the Morning.” Here is what she said:
And here’s one typical reaction I have seen on Twitter:
“Absolutely” Ocasio-Cortez agrees with host calling Israeli Government “criminal” “white supremacist Jews”
AOC recently engaged in Holocaust trivialization and she supports the anti-Semitic BDS movement pic.twitter.com/yLbT6F0GKz
— Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) July 30, 2019
I don’t believe even this tweet fully captures just how vile her responses were.
For a start, it is absolutely true she seemed to agree with the notion of “White supremacist Jews.” And while in her mind, that might include the Israeli government, it was not confined to this, as evidenced by the mention of Donald Trump adviser Stephen Miller. Worse still, to anyone following “The Squad” and honorary squad members like Linda Sarsour, it is no stretch to believe this would include – in her mind – Zionist Jews.
Categorizing those of us who believe in a Jewish state in our historical homeland as “White supremacists” is absolutely antisemitic. Heck, calling us “White” and denying our indigenous status is just that.
Then there’s her assertion that this is a “generational issue.” This is absolutely false and offensive. Sure, many young Jews do not support the Israeli government or Binyamin Netanyahu but many also do. His party did get more seats in the Israeli Knesset in the last election after all. And even the next biggest party, Blue and White, supports many of the same policies that Ocasio-Cortez and company think are “criminal.”
Ocasio-Cortez then goes on with the strawman that if you criticize an Israeli policy, you are deemed antisemitic. This is simply not what is going on. Those we allege are antisemitic really have demonstrated it. Take Ilhan Omar for example – she really has tweeted and said antisemitic things. Supporting the BDS movement, which absolutely does call for the destruction of the Jewish state of Israel, is the cherry on the Jew-hating cake.
Similarly disingenuous is her assertion that the “Right Wing” advances the notion that if you engage in any critique of Israel, that must mean you are against the existence of the existence of Israel. Again, this is not what is happening. Those we accuse of being against the existence of Israel have demonstrably done so – whether it be by chanting “From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be free” or supporting palestinian terrorism (I’m looking at you Marc Lamont Hill).
And speaking of palestinian terrorism, Ocasio-Cortez basically justifies it when she says the palestinians “have no choice but to riot.” These “riots” involve gunfire, Molotov cocktails, slingshots and incendiary balloons, among other things. But apparently, that is fine and dandy, since we “oppress” and “occupy” them. Besides the terror justification, bigotry of low expectations much?
All reasonable people – whether Republican or Democrat – should be deploring Ocasio-Cortez’s responses during this interview.