- The left-wing member of the Democratic 'squad' shared her message on Instagram on Christmas Eve
- In the lengthy post, she said she prayed 'for the peace and protection of the innocents in Gaza'
- She then compared Jesus, Mary and Joseph to today's Palestinians who are persecuted by “right-wing forces.”
Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has been criticized for her Christmas post in which she called Israel a violent occupying force and compared Jesus to the Palestinians.
On Christmas Eve, AOC shared on Instagram a photo of a child lying on a pile of rubble surrounded by wooden nativity icons.
The New Yorker captioned the photo: 'In the Christmas story, Christ was born in modern-day Palestine under the threat of a government engaged in the mass murder of innocents.'
She then compared Jesus, who King Herod was hunting, to the “right-wing forces” currently “occupying Bethlehem by force.”
Her message sparked strong reactions online, with some accusing her of 'Jew-hatred'.
AOC's Instagram post sparked online backlash after it compared Jesus to Palestinians
The Democrat called Israel a violent occupying force. The post sparked outrage, with one Twitter user saying: '@AOC shows how much she hates Jews with a deplorable Christmas message that makes no mention of the hostages being held'
One Twitter user said: '@AOC shows how much she hates Jews with a deplorable Christmas message that makes no mention of the hostages being held.'
Senior political reporter at The Forward, Jacob N Kornbluh, said: 'AOC describes Israel in Christmas post as a 'violent right-wing occupying force'. No mention of Hamas terror, the victims of the October 7 attack.”
In her full post, AOC said: “He was part of a target group murdered indiscriminately to protect the power of an unjust leader.
'Mary and Joseph, displaced by violence and forced to flee, became refugees in Egypt with a newborn baby waiting to return home one day.
“Thousands of years later, right-wing forces violently occupy Bethlehem as similar stories unfold for contemporary Palestinians, so much so that the Christian community in Bethlehem has canceled this year's Christmas Eve celebrations in both cases. [fear for their] safety and respect.
“And yet, today, holy children are still born in a place of unspeakable violence – for every child born, of whatever identity and from whatever place, is holy. Especially the children of Gaza.
“The whole story of Christmas and Christ himself is about standing for the poor and powerless, the marginalized and maligned, the refugees and immigrants, the outcasts and misunderstood, without exception.
“This highly Christian holiday is about honoring the precious sanctity of a family who, if the story were to unfold today, would be Jewish Palestinians.
'Merry christmas. May there be peace on earth, amen.”
AOC, along with other members of the Democratic 'squad', have repeatedly called for a ceasefire
Pro-Israel activist Andrea Karshan responded, “I wish people would just enjoy Christmas and stop being so political about social justice.
'I'm so glad that when I was a Christian I had a great Christmas and didn't waste my time on this nonsense. It's so stupid.'
The AOC has previously condemned both Israel and Hamas in the conflict, calling for a ceasefire and labeling both the October 7 Hamas attack and Israel's response as war crimes.
Earlier this month, she condemned as “shameful” the US decision to veto a United Nations Security Council resolution demanding a ceasefire in Gaza.
Together with other members of the far-left 'Squad', she has repeatedly spoken out in favor of stopping Israel's bombardment of Gaza.