Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said that people such as Palestinians have no other option than to “riot” because they are “marginalized” by Israel — drawing swift outrage from Jewish advocacy groups.
The firebrand freshman Democrat said she believes that “injustice is a threat to the safety of all people” during a discussion Tuesday on Hot 97’s “Ebro in the Morning” radio show.
“Once someone doesn’t have access to clean water, they have no choice but to riot, right?” she said. “But it doesn’t have to be that way. I’m not even just talking about Palestinians, I’m talking about communities in poverty in the United States, I’m talking about Latin America, I’m talking about all over the world.”
Much like her June comment likening detention centers along the southern border to “concentration camps,” Ocasio-Cortez’s latest comments drew condemnation from Jewish groups.
“Ocasio-Cortez could be forgiven for being ignorant about history, about Israel, or about the Jewish community, but these comments don’t come from a place of ignorance,” said Matt Brooks, executive director of the Republican Jewish Coalition.
“They come from an intolerance of Jews and Israel that is unacceptable in the halls of Congress and in American political discourse.”
Radio host Ebro Darden prompted the discussion with Ocasio-Cortez by saying there are a number of “corrupt” governments — lumping together Israel, the United States, Russia and Saudi Arabia — which he claimed are “working in concert.”
He went on to assert that young Jewish people are against the “Palestine occupation” and would like to see the ouster of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Darden also ranted about “white supremacist Jews” and said it’s “something most people can’t wrap their brains around.”
“And what’s going on with Israel and Palestine, while it’s very, very deep, it is very, very criminal, and it is very, very unjust,” he said.
Ocasio-Cortez agreed, saying, “Absolutely.”
“I think, too, where we’re at as a country when it comes to Israel-Palestine is very much a generational issue,” Ocasio-Cortez said.
She said conservatives “advance this notion” that if you criticize Israel, you’re anti-Semitic.
The Republican Jewish Coalition called on Ocasio-Cortez’s fellow Democrats to condemn her remarks.
“Democrats must speak out against these outrageous comments by a sitting Democratic member of the House,” Brooks said.