- The left-wing member of the Democrats' “squad” took to Instagram to share her message on Christmas Eve
- In the lengthy post, she said she was praying “for peace and the protection of the innocents in Gaza.”
- She then compared Jesus, Mary and Joseph to today's Palestinians who are being persecuted by “right-wing forces.”
Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was criticized for her Christmas post in which she called Israel a violent occupying force and compared Jesus to the Palestinians.
On Christmas Eve, AOC posted a photo on Instagram of a child lying on a pile of rubble surrounded by wooden nativity symbols.
The New Yorker wrote about the photo: “In the Christmas story, Christ was born in what is now Palestine under the threat of a government that was carrying out a massacre of innocents.”
She then compared King Herod's hunt for Jesus to the “right-wing forces” that are currently “forcibly occupying Bethlehem.”
Her post sparked strong backlash online, with some accusing her of “Jew-hatred.”
AOC's post on Instagram sparked backlash online after he compared Jesus to Palestinians
The Democrat called Israel a violent occupying power. The post sparked outrage with one Twitter user saying: “@AOC shows how much she hates Jews by not mentioning hostages held in deplorable Christmas message.”
One Twitter user said: “@AOC shows how much she hates Jews by not mentioning held hostages in her deplorable Christmas message.”
The Forward's senior political reporter, Jacob N. Kornbluh, said: “AOC describes Israel as a 'violent right-wing occupying force' in Christmas post. “No mention of Hamas terror, the victims of the Oct. 7 attack.”
In her full post, AOC said, “He was among a target group killed indiscriminately to protect the power of an unjust leader.”
“Mary and Joseph, displaced by violence and forced to flee, became refugees in Egypt with a newborn baby waiting to one day return home.”
“Thousands of years later, right-wing forces are violently occupying Bethlehem while similar stories are playing out for Palestinians today, so much so that the Christian community in Bethlehem has canceled this year’s Christmas Eve celebrations.” [fear for their] Security and respect.
“And yet, even today, holy children are born in a place of unspeakable violence – because every child born, regardless of identity and from whatever place, is sacred.” Especially the children of Gaza.
“The entire story of Christmas and Christ himself is about standing with the poor and powerless, the marginalized and reviled, the refugees and immigrants, the outcast and misunderstood, without exception.”
“This high Christian holiday is about honoring the precious sanctity of a family who, if history were to take place today, would be Jewish Palestinians.”
'Merry Christmas. May there be peace on earth, Amen.'
AOC, along with other members of the Democratic “squad,” has repeatedly called for a ceasefire.
Pro-Israel activist Andrea Karshan responded: “I wish people would just enjoy Christmas and stop being so political about social justice about it.”
“I'm so glad that when I was a Christian I had fun at Christmas and didn't waste my time on this nonsense. 'It's so silly.'
AOC has previously condemned both Israel and Hamas in the conflict, called for a ceasefire and called both the October 7 Hamas attack and Israel's response war crimes.
Earlier this month, she condemned as “shameful” the US decision to veto a United Nations Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Together with other members of the radical left-wing “Squad,” she has repeatedly spoken out in favor of stopping the Israeli bombing of the Gaza Strip.
In November, she signed her name to a letter to Biden calling for an immediate ceasefire.
The letter said: “We write to you to express our deep concern about the intensifying war in Gaza, particularly serious violations against children, and our fear that this war will continue without an immediate cessation of hostilities and the introduction “A robust bilateral ceasefire will lead to war,” further loss of civilian life and the risk of drawing the United States into a dangerous and unwise conflict with armed groups throughout the Middle East.”