Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has accused Israel of “war crimes” as the close U.S. ally prepares for a possible ground invasion of the Gaza Strip amid rising fears of a widening war.
The New York Democrat and “Squad” member condemned “intolerance and insensitivity” at a rally in Times Square just days after the Hamas terrorist attack in Israel.
But she also called for a ceasefire and on Sunday described both the Hamas attack and Israel’s response – which included cutting off water and energy in what the government described as a siege – as war crimes.
“War crimes are not an appropriate response to other war crimes,” she told MSNBC on Sunday. “Hamas’ hostage-taking, its taking of children, disabled people and elderly civilians hostage is a war crime,” she said.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called the Hamas attack a “war crime” — but also applied that phrase to Israel, which is cutting off water and energy supplies to Gaza as it tries to free hostages and prepares for a possible ground invasion
“But when we talk about blocking water, food and electricity for a population of 2.2 million Palestinians, it is unacceptable to believe that 1,700 children, Palestinian children alone, will somehow make up for or justify the violence with their deaths.” what we saw on October 7th.’
Their condemnation of Israel’s tactics comes amid reports that, despite President Biden’s staunch defense of Israel, the Biden administration has privately warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to postpone a possible ground invasion out of concern about potential consequences.
According to the Washington Post, Biden “expressed his concerns and asked questions” with Natanyahu during his meeting in Israel during Biden’s seven-hour trip last week.
An Israeli officer walks at the site of the Super Nova festival in Re’im, Israel, on October 17, 2023, which was attacked by Hamas on October 7. In response, Israel has vowed to wipe out Hamas
Palestinians receive food at a United Nations-run school in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, on October 23, 2023. Since the start of the war, Israel has cut off supplies of water, electricity, fuel and food to the Palestinian enclave of more than 2,000 million people
Biden himself told reporters accompanying him on his return trip from Israel: “I have warned the government of Israel not to be blinded by anger.”
In public statements in Israel, he compared the attack to the September 11 attacks and said the scale of lives lost was “like 15 9/11.”
He and his team helped negotiate with the Egyptian government for the first shipment of food and medical aid to Gaza since the Hamas attack, amid violent protests in capitals across the Middle East and Europe.
Israel’s energy minister has vowed not to allow fuel or electricity into the Gaza Strip until the estimated 200 Israeli hostages are returned home.
On Friday, Hamas released two American hostages seized in the attacks – Judith Raanan, 59, and her daughter Natalie Raanan, 17.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said 10 Americans who were in Israel during the attack were still missing.
Hamas’ attack and Israel’s response have created a division between “force” members and more traditional party leaders who have thrown their weight behind Israel.
Fellow Democrat Rashida Tlaib, D-Michigan, was criticized for blaming Israel for the attack on a hospital in Gaza after the US government, Israel and independent analysts said the more likely scenario was a misdirected rocket launch in Gaza.
“As an American, not just a member of the U.S. Congress, I am ashamed.” I am ashamed that they say, “Not yet. Maybe next week.’…How many more have to die?’ She said.
She also criticized Biden for embracing Israel after the attacks.
“President Biden, not all Americans agree with you on this issue, and you need to understand that.” We are literally watching people commit genocide and kill the vast majority just like that, and we still stand by and say nothing. “We will remember this,” she warned.
In her statement the day after the October 7 attack, she said she mourned the lives lost on both sides and then called for “the lifting of the blockade, an end to the occupation and the dismantling of the apartheid system, which creates oppressive, dehumanizing conditions, which can lead to resistance.” ‘
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) has called on the U.S. government to withdraw its support for the Jewish state, calling Israel’s response “collective punishment” and a “war crime” in the immediate aftermath of the Oct. 7 attacks.