Now an AOC staffer is under fire for calling Israel a 'racist European ethnostate' built on 'stolen land' after his boss was pictured in Miami maskless and sipping a cocktail
A member of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's staff has reportedly condemned Israel as a 'racist European ethnostate' on social media.
It will reignite the row over attitudes to Israel by some elements of the progressive wing of the Democratic Party and its so-called squad, who had frequently highlighted how millions of Palestinians in the occupied territories are denied rights extended to Jewish citizens of Israel.
And it comes as AOC is under fire after photographs emerged of the congresswoman from New York drinking a cocktail, without wearing a mask, in Florida.
The latest controversy was triggered by Hussain Altamimi, who joined Ocasio-Cortez’s office in November as a legislative assistant, according to Fox News.
Last week he targeted Israel with an Instagram story.
'Israel is a racist European ethnostate built on stolen land from its indigenous population!' he wrote on Christmas Eve, according to a screenshot obtained by Fox News Digital. A
AOC staffer Hussain Altamimi is under fire for his social media post about Israel, calling a key U.S. ally a 'racist European ethnostate built on stolen land'
Altamimi added his own thoughts to a post by 'Let's Talk Palestine' on Instagram
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was already facing criticism after being photographed without a mask in Miami Beach, Florida, while having a cocktail on Thursday
He added the comments to a post from the 'Let's Talk Palestine' account, which made reference to a 'racial hierarchy' in Israel.
'This reveals the principle underpinning Israeli apartheid: It’s not about where you’re born,' the shared post reads.
'It’s about whether you’re Jewish or non-Jewish. Your ethnicity determines your rights [and] level in the racial hierarchy.'
Critics of Israel point to the way Palestinians in the West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem - almost three million people - do not have the right to vote in Israeli elections, despite living under Israeli rule. Nor do the two million people living in Gaza.
However, some social media users were quick to condemn Altamimi and his definition of Israel as a racist state.
'That's wrong for many reasons, and it erases Mizrahi Jews like me,'wrote Sia Kordestani on Twitter. 'A majority of Jewish Israelis are descendants of 850,000 Jews violently expelled from Arab countries.'
Meanwhile, AOC was under fire for her decision to visit the red state of Florida and its relaxed COVID rules when she was spotted having a maskless meal in Miami Beach on Thursday.
The 'Squad' member shared a drink and a laugh with an unknown dining guest at Doraku Sushi and Izakaya, according to photos shared by the National Review.
Ocasio-Cortez was dragged on Twitter by conservatives joking about her strict stance on COVID protocols, including a Twitter account devoted to and endorsed by Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, which invited her to 'enjoy a taste of freedom' in the Sunshine State.
U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was seen having a maskless meal in Miami Beach, Florida, on Thursday
'Welcome to Florida, AOC! We hope you're enjoying a taste of freedom here in the Sunshine State thanks to @RonDeSantisFL's leadership,' the tweet, by the Team DeSantis account, read.
'P.S. We recommend the Rock Shrimp Roll and the Aoki Tai the next time you decide to dine in Miami. Cheers!,' read a follow up tweet.
Other branded the hypocrisy in her flouting her own COVID rules. 'You're being played by @AOC dummies,' Kyle Becker, who runs the conservative site Becker News, claimed.
'Hey @AOC tell me you endorse @RonDeSantisFL without telling me you endorse @RonDeSantisFL,' wrote Shawn Farash, who runs the conservative group Long Island Loud Majority.
The outspoken progressive Democrat staunchly supports mask and vaccine mandates, despite the state and its Governor Ron DeSantis banning such restrictions in his state
Ocasio-Cortez voyaged to Florida as her home in New York City struggles with a surge in COVID cases causing a record number of first responders to call in sick. Over 20% of the city's police officers and 30% of paramedics were out sick Thursday, city officials told Fox News.
The city has no plans to drop its COVID protocols as incoming New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who will be sworn in Saturday, announced Thursday his plans to keep in place many of outgoing Mayor Bill de Blasio's restrictions, including a vaccination mandate for entering local businesses.
New York has also been smashing COVID records, breaking one for the second day in a row with more than 74,000 new cases Thursday, according to WNBC-TV of New York City.
Hospitalizations also continued to increase in the Empire State, reaching more than 7,300, the report said. The number of ICU patients in New York rose to more than 1,000 on Thursday, breaking that mark for the first time since March, the station added.
No comments