AOC claims Biden administration is aiding ‘gross human rights violations in Gaza’ by sending aid to Israel and backs pro-Palestinian activism
- “What we are witnessing is the gross violation of human rights in Gaza, and that is happening with American military aid,” Ocasio-Cortez said.
- At least 48 Democratic members of Congress have demanded a ceasefire, while Israel and Gaza have agreed to a humanitarian pause
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said U.S. military aid is fueling human rights abuses in Gaza — as a debate erupts among Democrats over whether aid should be conditioned on whether Israel does enough to prevent civilian casualties.
“What we are seeing is the gross violation of human rights in Gaza, and that is happening with American military aid,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “I don’t think the American people want our public resources to finance gross human rights violations.”
The progressive firebrand encouraged pro-Palestinian activists to continue pressuring lawmakers to support a ceasefire.
“I also want to be clear about how powerful that is, engagement with voters,” she said at a constituent teletown hall Monday evening.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said U.S. military aid is fueling human rights abuses in Gaza — as a debate erupts among Democrats over whether aid should be conditioned on Israel doing enough to prevent civilian casualties.
“These aren’t just progressives,” Ocasio-Cortez continued. ‘We have seen that representatives of the swing seats, who narrowly won their seats, are now starting to speak out in favor of a ceasefire. So all this activism makes this a politically tenable and politically normalized position. So I just want to encourage people who are, you know, calling or maybe haven’t called yet, to please do so.”
At least 48 Democratic members of Congress have demanded a ceasefire, while Israel and Gaza have agreed to a humanitarian pause as long as Hamas continues to hand over Israeli hostages.
Hamas handed over its fifth tranche of hostages on Tuesday, as Israel agreed to extend the four-day ceasefire treaty for another two days. Hamas has released 69 hostages since the ceasefire began, including one American. In return, Israel released more than 150 Palestinian prisoners.
Palestinians inspect the destruction caused by Israeli attacks in Wadi Gaza, in the central Gaza Strip on November 28, 2023
Palestinians walk after crossing from the northern Gaza Strip to the southern Gaza Strip as Israeli soldiers move along the Salah Al Din Road in the central Gaza Strip, November 28, 2023
Nine Americans remain in Hamas custody.
About 1,200 Israelis were killed when Hamas launched an attack on October 7, taking about 240 people hostage. More than 15,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed in Gaza in Hamas-controlled territory, according to the Health Ministry. Neither authority’s figures have been independently verified.
The House of Representatives has already approved about $14 billion in aid for Israel. But in the Senate, a number of Democratic lawmakers have spoken out in favor of making that money conditional on Israel’s efforts to clean up its human rights record.
“We regularly determine our assistance to allies based on compliance with U.S. and international law,” Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., chairman of the Foreign Relations Subcommittee on the Middle East, said recently.
“I think you can defeat Hamas without this number of civilian casualties,” which he called “unacceptable.”
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., has also called for conditions.
“We cannot be complicit in actions that violate international law,” he wrote on X. “That includes an end to indiscriminate bombings.”
Biden has called the aid conditions a “valuable thought” but appeared hesitant. “I don’t think if I started doing that we would have ever gotten to where we are today. We have to take this one step at a time.”