The Hypocrisy and Silence of AOC

Dear Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez,

It has been a little over a month since the Israeli-Gaza ceasefire took hold. During the conflict you made an impassioned speech on the House floor, tweeted and trolled the State of Israel, and led an effort to block an arms sales to Israel.

So you really care right? What about Mohammed Hadidi ? How do you think last weeks Father’s Day went for him?  He lost 4 children in the most recent conflict which you were so vocal about. Where is your voice now? Since the Gaza cease fire you have been silent, you have done nothing. You use the people of Gaza as a prop. The hypocrisy is deafening.

I remember when you first were interviewed on Firing Line in 2018 and when asked about the conflict you spoke of the occupation and when Ms. Hoover asked you to expound you giggled like a teenager being asked to the prom with “I am not the expert.”  For the record Israel does not occupy Gaza.

So you take a stand on a subject you know nothing about isn’t that hypocrisy?

Ms. Hoover so eloquently brought up the fact that once you are in Congress you will have the ability to learn more about the issues related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.  You stated in that same interview you are “willing to listen and evolve on this issue” Have you listened? Have you evolved?  Let’s take a look at that.

In August of 2019 you cancelled a trip to Israel which would have been your first. At the time you stated “There is no way, I think, that one can really dig deep without being able to have that experience…”  Till this day you still have not visited the region, but it seems you are now an expert. The hypocrisy thickens.

In September 2020 you cancelled a commemoration for Yitzhak Rabin hosted by Americans for Peace Now because someone sent you a tweet. Here was a great opportunity for you to learn more, to create a bridge,  a dialogue and instead you did nothing.

Just this year you tried to block an arms sale to Israel which you knew would fail,  but you did get the headlines. It was a great stunt, but what did it do for the Palestinians? What did it do for peace? What have you really done?

Every opportunity you have had to learn, to contribute, to be part of the solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been met with your hypocrisy and silence. You have not stepped up. Your words and actions are hollow.

It has been a little over a month since the Israeli-Gaza  ceasefire took hold, and you have said nothing , you have done nothing vis a vis the conflict. Is this how you want to be remembered? Do you want to look back at your time in Congress filled with Twitter, & Twitch, and stunts? Or do you really want to make a difference and contribute? Do you want your career to be defined by bluster or real accomplishments ?

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, I can’t fix your past, but let’s look at the future and be positive. Vamos, a Israel!  Go to the region and learn. Use your influence to help move things forward in the right direction. Don’t use the people of Gaza as a prop. Don’t bash Israel because that’s what progressives do.  As a progressive you should be open minded enough to learn the complexities of this conflict. You should understand the facts like when you speak of the occupation you don’t include Gaza as you inferred in your Firing Line interview…. since Israel left over 16 years ago.

As a father I sympathize with the loss of Mohammed Didi as do all people in Israel.  I also know that the people of Israel when given the chance to take the risk for peace they have done so each and every time. The people of Israel have nowhere to go and no choice but to defend their population. The suffering of the people in Gaza is solely the responsibility of Hamas and when you and others begin to understand that change will come.  It’s ok to pick a side, just be honest.

Don’t be a hypocrite. Don’t be silent.

P.S.

In your interview you talk about issues important to your Puerto Rican district, and yet with the tragedy in Surfside, you have said nothing, tweeted nothing, but you did have time to  tweet and  troll one of your fellow housemates, about her height.

It shouldn’t matter who the people are or where they are from. This is a tragedy of epic proportions in the United States. Instead of trying to get headlines bashing Israel focus more on issues stateside.  Maybe when you find out that one of the largest mass casualty events included a number of Puerto Ricans then you can do your whole Sephardic Jew shtick like you did in Dec. 2018.