Israeli US Envoy Slams Ocasio-Cortez for Bid to Block Sale of Precision-Guided Munitions to Tel Aviv
© REUTERS / Evelyn Hockstein
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Ahead of next week’s vote on the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14) introduced seven amendments on September 16, seeking to “end the sale of weapons to countries that have violated human rights”.
Israel’s Ambassador to the US, Gilad Erdan, went on Twitter on Saturday to level scathing criticism at US Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for submitting an amendment to the annual US defence spending bill to block the sale of precision-guided munitions to Tel Aviv.
The envoy tweeted that Israel sought to “defend its citizens against Hamas, a designated terrorist organisation.”
I would expect a Congressperson to understand that Israel is defending its citizens against Hamas, a designated terrorist organization.
— Ambassador Gilad Erdan גלעד ארדן (@giladerdan1) September 19, 2021
Your amendment further legitimizes their heinous attacks against innocent civilians, as well as antisemitic lies. 1/2 https://t.co/kUHe2Y3rYa
He warned the Democratic representative from New York that her amendment “legitimises” Hamas’ “heinous attacks against innocent civilians, as well as antisemitic lies.” Erdan underscored that the strategic alliance between Israel and the US was “critical to the security of our two countries”.
Israel & the US have a strategic alliance, critical to the security of our two countries.
— Ambassador Gilad Erdan גלעד ארדן (@giladerdan1) September 19, 2021
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. 2/2
The envoy to the US and UN touted Israel’s role as a “world leader in the fight against terrorism”, and reminded the congresswoman that Israeli-American partnership helped “prevent terrorist attacks against American citizens many times in the past.”
Controversial Arms Sale
Truly stellar foreign policy initiative by @aoc to block weapons from human rights abusers including U.S.police, Saudi Arabia, Colombia and Israel https://t.co/ksSTpMoLIv
— Adalah Justice Project (@AdalahJustice) September 17, 2021
Earlier in the week, US Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez introduced an amendment to the American defence budget bill - the National Defense Authorisation Act (NDAA) - that would block the transfer of $735 million-worth of “the same kind of Boeing weaponry that the Israeli government used to kill 44 Palestinians in one night in al-Rimal".
The latter was a reference to the Israeli airstrike on May 16 which destroyed three apartment buildings, resulting in 44 deaths in a Gaza neighbourhood. Israel claimed the strikes targeted an underground Hamas command centre, while The New York Times reported that the attacks were conducted "without warning" and "with limited intelligence about what they were attacking."
In her tweet, the congresswoman also mentioned the “bombing of media centres” by the Israeli government in a likely reference to the bombing of a building in Gaza City that housed the offices of the Associated Press and Al-Jazeera. No one was injured in the strike on the building that Israel claimed was being used by Hamas, with the high-rise transformed into a pile of rubble.
Smoke billows from a building housing various international media, including The Associated Press, after an Israeli airstrike on Saturday, May 15, 2021 in Gaza City.
© AP Photo / Mahmud Hams
The administration of US president Joe Biden approved the sale to Israel of $725 million-worth of Boeing Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM) - kits that convert unguided bombs into precision-guided munitions - in May. US Congress was officially notified of the proposed sale on May 5th, according to The Washington Post, nearly a week before Hamas, the Islamic group that controls the Gaza strip enclave, began its barrage of rocket attacks against Israel. Tel Aviv retaliated with rocket fire, amid the worst flare-up of the crisis in the region since the 2014 Hamas-Israeli war.
It was during the May campaign in the enclave - "Operation Guardian of the Walls" – that Joe Biden expressed support for Israel, saying "my expectation and hope is this will be closing down sooner than later, but Israel has a right to defend itself."
However, a chorus of Democrats, particularly in the House of Representatives, raised concerns about the arms sale. Ocasio-Cortez, along with a number of other House Democrats, including Rashida Tlaib, introduced a largely symbolic resolution of disapproval endorsed by over 70 organisations, including IfNotNow, Jewish Voice for Peace Action, and Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).
“For decades, the US 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,” said Ocasio-Cortez in a statement in May.
