Ocasio-Cortez accuses Democrats of ‘dehumanizing’ Palestinians, demands Gazans be made center issue at DNC

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez slams Democratic party for not including Palestinian Arabs onstage at 2024 DNC to balance out inclusion of Jewish hostage’s family.

By World Israel News Staff

New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez took aim at the leadership of the Democratic party Wednesday, accusing them of taking part in the “dehumanization” of Palestinian Arabs by failing to include them onstage at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago this week.

On Wednesday, Rachel Goldberg and Jon Polin, the parents of 23-year-old Gaza captive Hersh Goldberg-Polin, addressed some 20,000 convention attendees, pleading for the release of their son.

“This is a political convention, but needing our only son and all of the cherished hostages home is not a political issue. It is a humanitarian issue,” Polin said, lamenting the “surplus of agony” in the Middle East.

Left-wing activist Ta-Nehisi Coates accused convention organizers of intentionally including the American-Israeli captive’s parents, while not selecting Palestinian Arabs to also address the convention.

“No Palestinian American is scheduled to address the convention from the main stage. I suspect this is because of what such a speaker might feel compelled to say.”

Ocasio-Cortez responded to Coates comments, tweet by writer and anti-Israel activist Naomi Klein, demanding the convention “center the humanity” of Gazans killed in the ongoing war against Hamas.

“Just as we must honor the humanity of hostages, so too must we center the humanity of the 40,000 Palestinians killed under Israeli bombardment.”

“To deny that story is to participate in the dehumanization of Palestinians. The @DNC must change course and affirm our shared humanity.”

Anti-Israel activists within the Democratic party also protested the inclusion of “Israeli hostages’ families” at the Chicago convention without “Palestinian voices” to balance the gathering.

“Uncommitted delegates urge the Democratic Party to reject a hierarchy of human value by ensuring Palestinian voices are heard on the main stage,” the far-left Uncommitted National Movement tweeted Wednesday.

“We are learning that Israeli hostages’ families will be speaking from the main stage. We strongly support that decision and also strongly hope that we will also be hearing from Palestinians who’ve endured the largest civilian death toll since 1948.”

Alexandria Ocasio-CortezAOCDemocratic National ConventionDNCIsraeli captives in Gaza