Star of the progressive left Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) has come under fire for withdrawing from an event commemorating late-Israeli Prime Minister Yitzchak Rabin, including by Rabin’s own granddaughter who accused the Democratic congress woman of surrendering to populism.
“After all, it was my late grandfather Itzhak Rabin, who said: You make peace with your enemies- not with your friends. Due to this brave historical act he was assassinated. But off course populism is easier,” Noa Rothman wrote on Twitter.
The memorial event marks the 25th anniversary of Rabin’s assassination by an Israeli extremist. It is being organized by the dovish Americans for Peace Now.
Rabin was a Nobel Peace laureate who is championed by Israeli and American peace camps as having spearheaded Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts. Ocasio-Cortez withdrew after being told by a (non-Palestinian) reporter that Palestinians objected to Rabin for suppressing the first Intifada and “reportedly order[ing] the breaking of Palestinian bones.”
At the time, Palestinians were led by arch-terrorist Yasser Arafat. Even Arafat, with whom Rabin shook hands on the White House lawn to mark the doomed Oslo peace accords, later referred to Rabin as “my brother” and paid a condolence call to Rabin’s grieving widow.
Yet apparently, that wasn’t enough for Ocasio-Cortez who cancelled her appearance with nary an explanation.
Former U.S. Ambassador to Israel, Dan Shapiro, called Ocasio-Cortez’s decision “very disappointing.”
“A mistake to give in to pressure, a missed opportunity to speak constructively to both sides of this conflict, honoring a peacemaker while acknowledging complexity. Hope she will try again and do better,” Shapiro wrote on Twitter.
“Honoring Rabin, an Israeli patriot killed for trying to make peace, in no way detracts from a commitment to Palestinians’ rights,” he wrote.
Israeli leftwing writer Hen Mazzig warned that Ocasio-Cortez heralds an “antisemitic future” for the Democratic party.
“AOC doesn’t care about Jews. She tokenizes us, meets with antisemitic leaders (remember her Jeremy Corbyn endorsement?), never speaks out about antisemitism, and minimizes the Holocaust.”
“If she’s the future of the Democratic Party, it’s an antisemitic one,” he added.
A spokesperson for the Israel branch of Peace Now condemned her decision, writing, “Just take a look at the tweet history of @PeaceNowUS and @peacenowisrael. Are you really going to boycott us and all our work with Palestinians to support human rights and an end to the conflict, just because Rabin wasn’t a flawless idle after 5 decades of conflict?”
In June, Ocasio-Cortez was among four progressive House Democrats, including Michigan Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, who called on Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to cut aid to Israel if it would go through with its plans to annex parts of the West Bank.
Correction: an earlier version of this article called Americans for Peace Now “hawkish” instead of “dovish.”