AOC slammed for saying Israel puts Palestinian children in ‘cages’

“Enough is enough. At some point, people need to be held accountable for their political lies,” said New York Jewish community leader Michael Nussbaum.

By Batya Jerenberg, World Israel News

Jewish organizations have slammed a pro-BDS New York congresswoman last week for falsely claiming that Israel mistreats Palestinian children.

At a weekend rally of the Democrat Socialists of America (DSA) in Texas, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) said, “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.”

AOC then added, to cheers, “I want to be unequivocal; we are here to stand up for the rights of Palestinians and Palestinian children. One hundred percent.”

In a possible attempt to head off claims of antisemitism, she continued, “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 gesture did not work, as the American Jewish Committee demanded that she take back her charges.

“AOC, you know as well as we do that there are no Palestinian children ‘in cages’ in the West Bank,” the veteran Jewish group tweeted on Wednesday. “This kind of gross misinformation hurts chances for reasonable discussion and furthers harmful biases. You must apologize for these baseless allegations.”

Closer to her local constituency in New York City, Queens Jewish Community Council President Michael Nussbaum told the New York Post that such “spurious and reckless suggestions aimed at Israel” are very concerning to the Jewish community.

“Bombastic suggestions and lies are dangerous when spewed by sitting politicians anywhere on the political spectrum,” he told the daily in a statement.

“AOC is always asking for the `other side’ to understand her positions and that of the DSA and the BDS followers who wish to eliminate Israel from the Middle East map,” he said.

Turning to the congresswoman directly, he added, “If you wish to have a real discussion, the Queens Jewish Community Council is willing to engage you in an honest and open conversation. We will defend Israel, you will have to defend the indefensible…. lies and distortions that spew hate and antisemitism.

“Enough is enough. At some point, people need to be held accountable for their political lies.”

Ocasio-Cortez is a member of The Squad,” a number of Democratic lawmakers whose progressive, leftist leanings include promoting BDS and voting in Congress against U.S. military aid to Israel. Her most recent move was an unsuccessful attempt in October to block American funding for the Iron Dome system, even though it is purely defensive — protecting all Israelis, including Arabs, from rocket terror.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortezanti-Israel biasAntisemitismAOCBDSNew YorkThe Squad