In the wake up of anti-Israel, pro-Hamas protests going on at Columbia University and supposedly other elite institutions in New York and around the country, members of the Squad have been speaking in favor of such agitators while continuing to speak out against our ally in the Middle East. This includes Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), who has even picked fights with her fellow Democrats as she goes after Israel.
Throughout Wednesday, AOC's political account posted and reposted no less than four times about Israel, with many of the posts being about Columbia University. Even the posts which didn't express support for the protests was no less noteworthy, though, especially when it comes to Democrats in disarray.
On Tuesday, Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) reposted Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT)'s lamentations about the "Failure of Senate to Debate Funding for Netanyahu's War Machine," the Israeli prime minister whom Sanders and many other Democrats--AOC and other Squad members included--have criticized at length.
"Bernie, now do AntiSemitism. Why so quiet?," Moskowitz's post asked. Many of the replies and quoted reposts were full of insulting and antisemitic replies. AOC fired off her own quoted repost, rushing to Sanders' defense, pointing to how he is Jewish. "His commitment to protecting innocents in Gaza stems FROM his Jewish values," AOC insisted. "He and many other Jewish leaders deserve better than to be treated this way. This is shameful." Moskowitz is also Jewish.
Sen. Sanders’ family was killed in the Holocaust. He dedicates his every moment to realizing tikkun olam.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) April 24, 2024
His commitment to protecting innocents in Gaza stems FROM his Jewish values.
He and many other Jewish leaders deserve better than to be treated this way. This is shameful. https://t.co/EHK27EF9Te
In the just over 24 hours since the post has been up, it's received 3,700 replies, as well as 462 quoted reposts, many of them taking issue with the Squad member's take.
Both Sanders and AOC voted against aid to Israel as part of a foreign aid package that just recently passed both chambers and was signed into law on Wednesday by President Joe Biden. Moskowitz has voted in favor of this and other bills providing aid to Israel, and was also the Democratic co-sponsor of some of the Iran-related legislation that passed the House last week in response to Iran's attack against Israel.
In Moskowitz's own response to AOC, he referenced how he too lost family members in the Holocaust, bringing up the aid that the congresswoman and senator vote against. "We see each other at work, we are both better than doing this here," his post offered.
My family was also killed in the Holocaust. In Germany and in Poland. My grandmother was in the kinder-transport. They also instilled values in me. It’s why I voted for aid to Israel and for aid to Gaza. We see each other at work, we are both better than doing this here. https://t.co/vawa9NGFto
— Jared Moskowitz (@JaredEMoskowitz) April 24, 2024
It's worth reminding that not only has Sanders criticized Israel and Netanyahu, he's also given another Squad member, Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) a platform to spew her anti-Israel rhetoric, after then Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) canceled Tlaib's event at the Capitol last May. The event in question mourned the founding of Israel as a "Nakba," or "catastrophe," and was held in the committee room for the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP), thanks to Chairman Sanders, who did not even inform HELP Ranking Member Bill Cassidy (R-LA).
On Thursday afternoon, AOC also reposted Sanders releasing an entire statement dedicated to calling out Netanyahu for daring to respond. Her post referenced figures that have been exaggerated by Hamas as a form of propaganda, something they've admitted to.
No, Mr. Netanyahu. It is not antisemitic or pro-Hamas to point out that in a little over six months your extremist government has killed 34,000 Palestinians and wounded more than 77,000 – 70% of whom are women and children.
— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) April 25, 2024
You will not distract us from this immoral war. pic.twitter.com/oDaiyU4ipD
From there her posts got no better. Evidently, the congresswoman is not "better than doing this here."
AOC expressed concern over Columbia University's "horrific decision to mobilize NYPD on their own students," leaving out how such students are expressing sympathies with terrorists and have set up an unsanctioned encampment. There's also been concerns that it's not merely Columbia students taking place, but outside agitators as well.
Not only did Columbia make the horrific decision to mobilize NYPD on their own students, but the units called in have some of the most violent reputations on the force.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) April 24, 2024
NYPD had promised the city they wouldn’t deploy SRG to protests.
So why are these counterterror units here? https://t.co/nfDVfueNSz
The failure in leadership was that this was allowed to happen in the first place.
— Mike Lawler (@lawler4ny) April 24, 2024
Not only should the police be brought in to clear out these antisemitic protests, but the students engaged in making violent threats should be expelled, those here on visas deported, and those… https://t.co/J4959YAk5T
The congresswoman also applauded those who booed Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) for coming to Columbia University to speak out against the rampant antisemitism on display. She even brought in an unrelated pro-abortion talking point in her posts calling out the speaker.
A post in the thread even flippantly asked "Why would I ever listen to a man that thinks he should have more say over my body than I do? NEXT."
Why would I ever listen to a man that thinks he should have more say over my body than I do? NEXT
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) April 24, 2024
Even after calling out Moskowitz and Johnson, AOC was still not done. She shared a clip of Johnson at the press conference held at Columbia University on Wednesday, with many of his fellow Republicans, including members of the New York congressional delegation.
Many of those members are facing particularly tough reelection battles in November, including Reps. Mike Lawler of New York's 17 Congressional District and Anthony D'Esposito of the state's 4th Congressional District.
Lawler and D'Esposito both posted at length about their appearance at Columbia. Lawler also reposted AOC to clap back at how she has been campaigning with former Democratic Rep. Mondaire Jones, who is running to represent the 17th Congressional District.
Again, not only does such a post from AOC leave out any mention of the antisemitism Jewish students have faced on campus, but it gives a sanitized version of these protests. She even laments "drumming up pressure to crack down on students and asymmetrically police Palestinian human rights speech."
Several here, like Reps. Lawler and D’Esposito, are vulnerable NY Republicans in tight seats.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) April 24, 2024
They have played a key role drumming up pressure to crack down on students and asymmetrically police Palestinian human rights speech.
Those campus hearings? GOP-led. They need to lose. https://t.co/yM39wMaz3i
I welcome @AOC coming to campaign for @MondaireJones! No surprise - she endorsed him previously and he voted with her 97% of the time in Congress. They both support the defund the police movement, open borders, and the antisemitic pro-Hamas crowd protesting on colleges across… https://t.co/fFBI0EwBsM pic.twitter.com/5zck2bPOxn
— Mike Lawler (@lawler4ny) April 24, 2024
It wasn't merely Republicans or even her fellow Democrats who AOC got into it with over standing by the pro-Hamas protesters.
As Katie covered earlier on Thursday, the NYPD Chief of Patrol was among those blasting the congresswoman for lamenting how the police had been brought in.
NYPD Chief Blasts AOC's Defense of Pro-Hamas Agitators
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) April 25, 2024
https://t.co/fJbtBTVhBc
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