Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Claims Anti-BDS Bill ‘Forces’ Anti-Israel Terrorism

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) suggested Tuesday that a non-binding resolution opposing boycotts of Israel would “force” critics of the Jewish state to commit acts of terror.

Ocasio-Cortez was one of only 17 members of Congress to vote against a bill expressing opposition to the anti-Israel “boycott, divestment, sanctions” (BDS) movement. (Some critics consider BDS to be antisemitic, because it singles out the Jewish state, ignoring Palestinian terrorism and the practices of authoritarian regimes in the region.)

CNN called the vote “divisive” — in deference to progressive Democrats who urged party leaders, in vain, not to put them on record on the issue — even though the tally was 398-17.

Three of the four left-wing “Squad” members voted against the non-binding resolution, including Ocasio-Cortez and Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) and Ilhan Omar (D-MN), both of whom recently compared Israel to Nazi Germany. Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) voted in favor.

Ocasio-Cortez told Buzzfeed that “my concern with being overly punitive on nonviolent forms of protest is that it forces people into other channels and I would hate to be a part of, you know, paving that kind of path.”

She did not appear to consider that boycotts would still be legal; that other forms of non-violent protest would still be available; and that Palestinians could also simply negotiate with Israel for peace instead of supporting terrorism.

Ocasio-Cortez has a long and growing record of anti-Israel statements and actions. Earlier on Tuesday, she retweeted a piece of anti-Israel fake news that falsely accused Israel of singling out Palestinian homes for demolition. She has also retweeted a reported supporter of a Palestinian terror group, and falsely accused Israel of a “massacre” of Palestinian “protesters” last year, though 50 of 62 of the rioters killed at a Gaza border fence were members of the Hamas terror group.

Earlier this week, Omar introduced her own resolution, co-sponsored by Tlaib and Rep. John Lewis (D-GA), backing the BDS movement.

Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News. He earned an A.B. in Social Studies and Environmental Science and Public Policy from Harvard College, and a J.D. from Harvard Law School. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. He is also the co-author of How Trump Won: The Inside Story of a Revolution, which is available from Regnery. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.