Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., said during an online discussion she hosted on Monday that "false accusations of antisemitism are wielded against people of color."
The "Squad" member hosted an online livestream titled "Antisemitism and the Fight for Democracy" on X, admitting that the rise in antisemitism and attacks against Jews since Hamas' Oct. 7 assault on southern Israel – where about 1,200 people were killed and approximately 250 others were taken as hostages into Gaza – "undermined" the progressive movement.
"Antisemitism, hate and violence against Jews because of their identity is real, and it is dangerous. It is also important to say here in this moment and during that conversation that criticism of the Israeli government is not inherently antisemitic and criticism of Zionism is not automatically antisemitic," Ocasio-Cortez said.
"That being true does not mean that we should not recognize that criticism and when that criticism crosses a line into real harm against our Jewish community," she continued. "Antisemitism is an assault on our values as Americans and especially as progressives. Antisemitism is also a threat to a community that is a vital partner in our struggles against injustice. So, when the Jewish community is threatened, the progressive movement is undermined. That is why we reject it as fiercely as we reject and look for misogyny, Islamophobia or any form of bigotry or discrimination in any space that we occupy. Right now, antisemitism is on the rise in America and across the world. Acknowledging that fact does not take away from fights for liberation, it actually advances them."
"At the same time, it is also true that accusations and false accusations of antisemitism are wielded against people of color and women of color by bad-faith political actors," Ocasio-Cortez said. "And weaponizing antisemitism is used to divide us and create a false choice between the fight for Jewish safety and the calls for Palestinian self-determination. Defending and standing for the rights of Palestinians is not antisemitic, and we must be able to identify when bad-faith political actors make accusations simply to divide us. People can disagree bitterly about Israel and Gaza, but it has felt that we’ve been at a point where even coming together to acknowledge and discuss any antisemitism at all can feel impossible."
People who have represented both sides of the political spectrum slammed Ocasio-Cortez for saying that there are false claims of antisemitism aimed at people of color.
"She is one of the most dangerous people because people are fooled by her," former Democrat New York State Assembly member Dov Hikind told Fox News Digital in reaction to the congresswoman's discussion.
"She's part of the radical extremists of the Democratic Party," Hikind, who joined the GOP last year, continued. "It's why so many people are leaving the Democratic Party. It's why so many people are not going to vote for the Democratic Party, for Biden or anyone else. I am convinced of that, that this will be an historic year in terms of Jews moving away from the Democratic Party, historic. People like Ocasio-Cortez, she contributes to the hate. She makes things more dangerous – really, really sad."
"By the way, I've never met antisemites who didn't say they were against antisemitism," added Hikind, who founded the organization Americans Against Antisemitism. "And she's full of it. She's absolutely full of it."
The Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) also reacted to Ocasio-Cortez's remarks in a statement to Fox News Digital.
"AOC’s ‘Squad’ includes the most noxious antisemites in Congress," wrote Sam Markstein, RJC national political director. "And across the board, Democrats have shamefully refused to hold the Hamas Caucus of their party accountable. It is shocking that the Democratic Party has this much difficulty calling out antisemitism – instead of despicable race-baiting, AOC should focus on fighting bigotry in her own ranks."
For the discussion, the congresswoman brought in two speakers, Stacy Burdett, a Jewish community advocate against antisemitism and bigotry, and Amy Spitalnick, CEO of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs.
At one point, Burdett spoke about the "conspiracy frame" of antisemitic rhetoric, pointing to differences between criticizing Israeli policies or decisions and being antisemitic. She specifically warned viewers that when discussing the Israel-Hamas war, comments that seem to allege "evil control of government policy by Jewish billionaires or Zionist donors" perpetuate dangerous antisemitic stereotypes.
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"So, if your criticism of Israel is trafficking stereotypes, you're really in the bigotry zone," Burdett said. "I mean, stereotypes kill. That's how the Nazis got the German people to live with this so-called Final Solution. And so we do the work all the time to avoid words that correlate with negative stereotypes. And we need to do that here. Second, you know, empathy and care and inclusion cannot be limited only to Jews who reject Zionism."
While Burdett warned against using stereotypes dealing with Zionist donors in the discussion hosted by Ocasio-Cortez, the congresswoman herself made an incendiary remark of her own just a day earlier.
"Hmm it’s almost like AIPAC functions as a political slush fund for Republican billionaires and should not have influence in the Democratic Party, let alone our primaries," Ocasio-Cortez wrote on X on Sunday, referencing the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, whose goal is to strengthen the U.S.-Israel relationship and works with members of both parties.
Hikind said AIPAC is a "legitimate organization" that follows the law and supports both Democrats and Republicans.
