Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Gilad Erdan blasted Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) for filing an amendment to the annual U.S. defense spending bill suspending the transfer of defensive precision-guided munitions to Israel.
“I would expect a Congressperson to understand that Israel is defending its citizens against Hamas, a designated terrorist organization,” tweeted Erdan. “Your amendment further legitimizes their heinous attacks against innocent civilians, as well as antisemitic lies.”
“Israel and the U.S. have a strategic alliance that is critical to the security of our two countries. Israel is a world leader in the fight against terrorism, and our partnership has helped prevent terrorist attacks against American citizens many times in the past,” he added.
Ocasio-Cortez’s office announced the amendment would suspend the transfer to Israel of $735 million worth of Boeing Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM) to Israel, which turns unguided bombs into precision-guided missiles.
It was over “the bombing of Palestinian civilians and media centers” she said, referencing an Israeli airstrike on a high-rise tower in Gaza during the recent 11-day conflict which housed the offices of the Associated Press and Al Jazeera – and a Hamas intelligence unit.
During the May war, Ocasio-Cortez, together with fellow ‘Squad’ members including Rashida Tlaib, introduced a similar resolution.
“For decades, the U.S. has sold billions of dollars in weaponry to Israel without ever requiring them to respect basic Palestinian rights. In so doing, we have directly contributed to the death, displacement and disenfranchisement of millions,” Ocasio-Cortez said in a statement at the time.
“At a time when so many, including President Biden, support a ceasefire, we should not be sending ‘direct attack’ weaponry to [then] Prime Minister Netanyahu to prolong this violence.”