Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) rebuked U.S. President Joe Biden over his statement supporting Israel’s right to defend itself amid escalating violence with Hamas, accusing the president of “siding with occupation.”
Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday, letting him know that Israel has the “unwavering support” of the United States to defend itself.
“I had a conversation with Bibi Netanyahu not too long ago,” said the president. “My expectation and hope is that this will be closing down sooner than later, but Israel has a right to defend itself when you have thousands of rockets flying into your territory.”
For her part, Ocasio-Cortez tweeted that “blanket statements like these w/ little context or acknowledgment of what precipitated this cycle of violence—namely, the expulsions of Palestinians and attacks on Al-Aqsa—dehumanize Palestinians & imply the U.S. will look the other way at human rights violations. It’s wrong.”