On Sunday, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) made an appearance on MSNBC to discuss the war between Israel and Hamas. During the conversation, she acknowledged Hamas’ brutal attack on October 7, which ignited the war. Yet, like many of her colleagues, she proceeded to berate Israel far more harshly, accusing the country of engaging in “war crimes.”

Ocasio-Cortez’s comments echo other Democratic lawmakers like Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) and Ilhan Omar (D-MN). She noted that “Hamas has absolutely engaged in horrific attacks” and that “there are more details that are released about what occurred on October 7.”

But, she continued:

However, we do know as well that war crimes do not constitute and are not an appropriate response for other war crimes. Hamas is hostage taking, the hostage taking of children, of the disabled, elderly civilians are a war crime. But when we are talking about the blockading of water, food, electricity to a population, to 2.2 million Palestinians, we are talking about dropping what we're seeing from Human Rights Watch reports and confirmation from organizations like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, the dropping and deployment of white phosphorus, which is also a war crime. It is unacceptable to think that 1,700 Palestinian children alone, that their deaths will somehow make up for or justify the violence of what we saw on October seventh.

The lawmaker also referred to Israel’s airstrikes against Hamas in the Gaza Strip as “an indiscriminate bombing campaign” and highlighted the damage being done in the region. “We are seeing civilian centers being bombed. We are seeing churches. We are seeing thousands upon thousands of people being killed by these strikes,” she remarked.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez chimes in on Israel/Hamas war:

"Hamas has absolutely engaged in horrific attacks...However, we do know as well that war crimes do not constitute and are not an appropriate response for other war crimes." pic.twitter.com/XDZd1ujxdy

— Jeff Charles, An Awful Pundit🏴 (@jeffcharlesjr) October 23, 2023

This is the same type of obfuscation that is coming from the likes of Tlaib and Omar, who have faced scrutiny for peddling false narratives about an explosion at a hospital in Gaza City. The former continued repeating the deceptive claim that Israel bombed the hospital even after it was revealed that it was the result of another terrorist group misfiring a rocket that landed in the parking lot. The latter has continually bashed Israel while downplaying the fact that Hamas started the war in the first place.

So, what gives?

The notion that Israel should share more of the blame than Hamas, which initiated the conflict by launching an assault, butchering children, and kidnapping hostages, is absurd on its face. Even further, Hamas has done easily more than Israel to oppress Palestinian civilians living in the Gaza Strip. It constantly places them in danger by attacking Israel, and then using them as human shields when Israel counterattacks. Moreover, it rules Gaza with an iron fist and violates the natural rights of its residents regularly.

If people like Ocasio-Cortez and the rest of her “squad” truly cared about the plight of the Palestinians, most of her ire would be directed at Hamas, and other “leaders” that exploit the tragedy to further their political and economic ends.