AOC Pushes to Punish Israel by Proposing Sanctions

For American supporters of the State of Israel, a new line necessary for the defense of the Jewish state emerged during the 2018 midterm elections when newly elected left-wing Democrats, self-described as “progressive,” broached the idea of redirecting the annual package of aid to Israel negotiated by President Barack Obama to provide significant funding to the Hamas-run Gaza Strip. Although the issue did not rise to a critical mass during that election cycle, it was nevertheless an issue that would not go away. Not surprisingly, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is now championing the idea in the lead-up to the November election. Projected upon the unpopular plan to annex land Israel conquered in the 1967 war that the Palestinians claim for their future state, Ocasio-Cortez has been able to entice colleagues who are traditionally strong supporters of the Jewish state, including House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.). With support from Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), the Ocasio-Cortez letter rides the annexation issue into an indictment of alleged human rights violations by Israel with reductions in military aid poised to be the first unambiguous sanction leveled at the Jewish state. The American lobby for Israel, AIPAC, is stressing that the annual aid package was the product of a Democratic administration in which presumptive presidential candidate Joe Biden served as vice president.