Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez posted a Christmas Eve message Sunday that got her into hot water for comparing Jesus Christ to modern day Gazans.
“In the story of Christmas, Christ was born in modern-day Palestine under the threat of a government engaged in a massacre of innocents. He was part of a targeted population being indiscriminately killed to protect an unjust leader’s power. Mary and Joseph, displaced by violence and forced to flee, became refugees in Egypt with a newborn waiting to one day return home. Thousands of years later, right-wing forces are violently occupying Bethlehem as similar stories unfold for today’s Palestinians, so much so that the Christian community in Bethlehem has canceled this year’s Christmas Eve celebrations out of both safety and respect,” Rep. Ocasio-Cortez wrote on Instagram.
“And yet, also today, holy children are still being born in a place of unspeakable violence — for every child born, of any identity and from any place, is sacred. Especially the children of Gaza,” Rep. Ocasio-Cortez added. (RELATED: ‘Climate Change Is Coming To Town’: Here’s How A Disruptive Eco-Activist Group Spread Christmas Fear In DC)
The “right-wing forces” occupying modern-day Bethlehem in the New York Democrat’s tale is presumably a reference to Israel, however the city was handed over by Israel to the Palestinian Authority back in 1995 as part of the Oslo Accords, The Jerusalem Post noted. There is also further irony in that Jesus was born in the Roman client kingdom of Judea, which was named after the Jewish people, PBS noted. It was only after the 2nd century CE that due to a major Jewish revolt, the Romans renamed the land Palaestina [Palestine] after the Philistines in order to sever any Jewish connection to the land, the Jewish Virtual Library explains.
Her post was met with widespread derision. “AOC describes Israel as a ‘violent right wing occupying force’ in [her] Christmas post. No mention of Hamas terror, the victims of Oct. 7 attack,” Jacob N. Kornbluh, a senior reporter for The Forward, tweeted.
AOC describes Israel as a ‘violent right wing occupying force’ in Christmas post. No mention of Hamas terror, the victims of Oct. 7 attack. pic.twitter.com/oajJnYLAOF
— Jacob N. Kornbluh (@jacobkornbluh) December 24, 2023
Hamas inflicted the deadliest terrorist attack in Israeli history on Oct. 7 that resulted in 1200 people being killed and the taking of over 200 persons hostage.
Another Twitter user, Harriet, concurred with Kornbluh’s assessment and added, “And no mention of hostages and rape. He Jew hate is really showing here.”
And no mention of hostages and rape. He Jew hate is really showing here
— Harriet (@harriet75) December 24, 2023