Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) said she would “never” authorize military aid to Israel, speaking during a private meeting on Tuesday night with the New York City Democratic Socialists of America chapter.
According to a partial recording a virtual forum shared with City & State, Ocasio-Cortez said she has “not once ever voted to authorize funding to Israel, and I will never,” adding that Israel “should be able to finance their own weapons if they seek to arm themselves.”
A DSA member asked Ocasio-Cortez to commit to voting “no” on “any spending on arms for Israel, including so-called ‘defensive capabilities.’”
The congresswoman replied, “Yes.”
“I believe the Israeli government is well able to fund the Iron Dome system, which has proven critical to keep innocent civilians safe from rocket attacks and bombardment,” Ocasio-Cortez said in a statement on Wednesday.
“Consistent with my voting record to date, I will not support Congress sending more taxpayer dollars and military aid to a government that consistently ignores international law and U.S. law,” he added.
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) responded on Thursday, tweeting that “making it easier for terrorists to kill civilians isn’t anti-war or pro-peace, it’s just anti-Israel.”
In July, Ocasio-Cortez released a statement in support of “defensive Iron Dome capacities,” saying she does “not believe that adding to the death count of innocent victims to this war is constructive to its end.”
In 2021, she voted “present” on a funding package for the Iron Dome. This new commitment to the NYC-DSA would see Ocasio-Cortez voting “no” on such a package in the future.
