Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez commented about Israel's "occupation" of Palestine during a PBS "Firing Line" interview Friday, causing controversy and drawing criticism from both the left and the right.
When the Democratic socialist congressional candidate was asked about her position on Israel, she said she believes in Israel’s right to exist but supports a two-state solution. She also said the 60 people killed in recent protests would be “unacceptable” in the U.S. or other places.
“I also think that what people are starting to see — at least in the occupation of Palestine — is just an increasing crisis of humanitarian condition and that to me I just where I tend to come from on this issue,” Ocasio-Cortez said.
The interviewer asked Ocasio-Cortez for clarification about the “occupation,” and she then referenced the settlements and said “Palestinians are experiencing difficulty in access to their housing and homes.”
When Ocasio-Cortez was pressed further, she said, “I am not the expert at geopolitics on this issue,” adding “for me, I just look at things through a human-rights lens, and I may not use the right words. I know this is a very intense issue.”
Her comments drew criticism from both sides of the aisle, and The Washington Examiner ran an opinion piece called “Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Talks About the ‘Occupation of Palestine’ but She Doesn’t Know What That Means.” The piece pointed out that Ocasio-Cortez has an international relations degree.
On Twitter, many people criticized her comments about Israel as being ignorant and knee-jerk.
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