“Your amendment further legitimizes their heinous attacks against innocent civilians, as well as anti-Semitic lies,” charged Ambassador Gilad Erdan.
By Aryeh Savir, TPS
Israel’s Ambassador to the US and United Nations Gilad Erdan accused Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of legitimizing Hamas’ “attacks against innocent civilians, as well as anti-Semitic lies,” after she called for an arms boycott on Israel.
Ocasio-Cortez said Friday that she introduced seven amendments to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), the annual budget and expenditures of the US Department of Defense, including the blocking of specific US weapons transactions to the Israeli government “over the bombing of Palestinian civilians and media centers.”
She may be referring to the Israeli Air Force (IAF) bombing of a building housing the Associated Press’ (AP) Gaza operation during Operation Guardian of the Walls because it was serving Hamas terrorists who were developing technology to jam the Iron Dome defense system.
The building that was bombed housed Hamas’ military intelligence offices, the research and technological development department, and technological systems that enabled terrorist attacks against Israeli citizens.
Responding to the amendment, Erdan stated that he “would expect a Congressperson to understand that Israel is defending its citizens against Hamas, a designated terrorist organization.”
“Your amendment further legitimizes their heinous attacks against innocent civilians, as well as anti-Semitic lies,” he charged.
“Israel and the US have a strategic alliance, 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, a staunch supporter of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement (BDS), has previously called to cut US aid to Israel, to no avail.
The US provides Israel with $3.8 billion in military aid annually, following an agreement led by former president Barack Obama.