Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has criticized Joe Biden's perceived support of Israel amid escalating conflict in Gaza.
In a statement addressed to her 12.7 million followers on Twitter, the New York Representative has taken a pro-Palestine Stance and slammed the incumbent President's response.
AOC tweeted:
"Blanket statements like these w/ little context or acknowledgment of what precipitated this cycle of violence.
"Namely, the expulsions of Palestinians and attacks on Al Aqsa - dehumanize Palestinians & imply the US will look the other way at human rights violations. It’s wrong. [sic]"
In a follow-up tweet, she continued:
Watch Biden address the subject of the growing tensions in Gaza in the following video:"By only stepping in to name Hamas’ actions - which are condemnable - & refusing to acknowledge the rights of Palestinians, Biden reinforces the false idea that Palestinians instigated this cycle of violence.
"This is not neutral language. It takes a side - the side of occupation."
The POTUS addressed the recent outbreak of violence, civil disorder, and rocket attacks in the Middle East in a press conference held at the White House on Wednesday, May 12.
Per CNN, Biden stated that he had spoken with the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, earlier that morning, stating: "My expectation and hope is this will be closing down sooner than later."
He then added: "Israel has a right to defend itself when you have thousands of rockets flying into their territory. But I had a conversation with the Prime Minister of Israel, and my hope is that I will see this coming to conclusion soon."
In contrast to Ocasio-Cortez, Biden's presidential predecessor Donald Trump appeared to take the opposite stance in a statement on his website, writing:
"Under Biden, the world is getting more violent and more unstable because Biden’s weakness and lack of support for Israel is leading to new attacks on our allies.
"America must always stand with Israel and make clear that the Palestinians must end the violence, terror, and rocket attacks, and make clear that the US will always strongly support Israel’s right to defend itself."
Following the Israeli Supreme Court's decision to evict a number of Palestinians from their homes in Jerusalem, the region has seen yet more outbreaks of violence, leading to the Israeli military's most intense campaign of airstrikes in Gaza since 2014
Al Jazeera reports that at least 83 Palestinians, including 17 children, have been killed due to the targeted destruction of a number of high-rise tower blocks, which the Israeli military claims held a number of terrorist leaders.
Meanwhile, per CNN, the Israeli military reports that Hamas militants in Gaza fired more than 1,000 rockets into Israel prior to this, leading to a total of seven deaths, and a further 200 injuries among Israeli civilians.
Netanyahu has also declared an emergency in the town of Lod, southeast of Tel Aviv, following more rioting from pro-Palestine groups.
