MEAWW.COM / NEWS / HUMAN INTEREST

AOC slammed for saying Israel 'cages' Palestinian kids: 'do your lies have no limit?'

The New York politician is back in trouble after comments over Israel at an event in Austin, draws the ire of Queens Jewish advocacy group

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez once again found herself embroiled in controversy, over comments she made. In mid-February 2022, she traveled to Austin, Texas to speak at the Democratic Socialists of America event, and ended up saying, "I don’t believe a child should be in a cage in the West Bank." The comments drew widespread criticism not just on social media, but from senior Jewish leaders as well.

The firebrand Democrat has a history of controversial comments, many of which have resulted in widespread trolling. Just days before the Palestine comments, she defended 12 shoplifters in New York, by calling their actions a result of "our politics and economic priorities." In early February, she also defended Whoopi Goldberg and called her suspension unnecessary. In December 2021, she caused quite an uproar by claiming "Republicans are mad they can’t date me."

RELATED ARTICLES

AOC slammed over 17K student debt rant despite making $174K: 'Pay your own darn bills'

AOC slammed for saying smash-and-grab incidents aren't true

Nonetheless, she's refused to shy away from speaking her mind and did so again in Austin. Not only did she attack Israel, but also the way the conflict in the region was being handled in the US, and not everyone was happy.

'Palestine is basically a banned word'

After being heckled by pro-Palestinian protestors at the rally, Ocasio-Cortez responded by saying, "I don’t believe that a child should be in a cage on our border, and I don’t believe a child should be in a cage in the West Bank." The comments were caught on video and quickly shared on social media. Adding more fuel to the fire, the New York Rep. went on to say, "With media, with all this stuff, Palestine is basically a banned word. It’s censored. We don’t talk about it. No one knows about it."

"I want to be unequivocal, we are here to stand up for the rights of Palestinians and Palestinian children. One hundred percent. Don’t get it twisted. Because disinformation is not the vibe," she went on to say, as the crowd cheered. "Believing in the basic human dignity and the ability for a person to not be jailed or beaten for who they are, it does not mean that you are bigoted against any other community."

The comments were quickly met with disgust and anger. Michael Nussbaum, president of the Queens Jewish Community Council told The New York Post, "Bombastic suggestions and lies are dangerous when spewed by sitting politicians anywhere on the political spectrum. When the far-left mimics the far right in lies and exaggerations, democracy and dialogue suffers." he added, "Enough is enough. At some point, people need to be held accountable for their political lies."

In a subsequent interview, Nussbaum added, "I’m disappointed in the comments she made in Texas. This is not an isolated incident. It’s a continuation." In response, AOC's spokeswoman Lauren Hitt said, "The Congresswoman was referring to reports issued by the Human Rights Watch and others... Independent monitors have documented that these children are subject to abuse and, in some cases, torture."

'Your demonization of Israel is abhorrent'

Social media too was quick to slam the Democratic Rep. "AOC is the worst, wrong on Venezuela, wrong on Cuba, weak on Israel / Palestine. She's an imperialist and a coward," one user tweeted. Another said, "Again, @AOC, you refused to vote NO on a bill that gave Israel 1B for the iron dome. Are we REALLY in solidarity with Palestine or are you just a BSer?" A third user tweeted, "AOC has lost all credibility over kids in cages and Palestine."

"Just another casual demonization of Israel that is completely and totally false. @AOC, no children are in “cages” in the West Bank. Wtf, do your desperate lies have no limit!?" one person slammed. Another responded, "Hey @AOC care to explain this??? There are NO KIDS IN CAGES IN THE WEST BANK. Your demonization of #Israel is abhorrent, irresponsible and dangerous." A third said, "In 2018, @AOC publicly declared that she wasn't an *expert on geopolitics* on the issue of the Israel-Palestinian conflict. The only thing that has changed in the last 4 years is that now she really thinks that she is one."