AOC criticizes “war criminal” Netanyahu for protesting against “unbelievable” arms moratorium and says he should not speak to US Congress

Ahead of Benjamin Netanyahu’s upcoming speech to Congress, Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York sharply called the Israeli prime minister a “war criminal” and accused him of having no respect for US laws.

Netanyahu was invited by leaders of the House and Senate to address Congress on July 24, despite growing political disagreements over Israel’s military attacks on Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

The letter inviting the Israeli prime minister was signed by both Republican and Democratic politicians, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, who said the aim of the proposal is to “highlight America’s solidarity with Israel.”

However, some other members of Congress, including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, disagree with Netanyahu’s speech.

On X, AOC shared a video in which Netanyahu can be heard attacking the Biden administration for its “unimaginable” arms freeze.

This happened while US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Netanyahu in Jerusalem on May 1. The Israeli prime minister officially stated on Tuesday that he had received assurances from Blinken that Washington would lift all restrictions on arms supplies to Israel.

“I told Secretary of State Blinken that it was inconceivable that the government had withheld weapons and ammunition from Israel over the past few months,” he said.

Responding to the video, AOC rebuked Netanyahu, saying, “This man should not be speaking before Congress. He is a war criminal. And he certainly has no respect for U.S. laws that are specifically designed to prevent U.S. weapons from facilitating human rights abuses.”

She further demanded that his “invitation should be revoked,” adding that “it should never have been sent in the first place.”

Blinken and the White House reject Netanyahu’s statement

During a press conference in Washington, Blinken was asked to confirm Netanyahu’s comments about their meeting. The top US ambassador insisted that only one shipment had been blocked, suggesting that the Israeli prime minister had overplayed the US move.

“I will not talk about what we said in diplomatic talks,” he said in response to another question about whether Netanyahu was telling the truth.

When asked about the Israeli prime minister’s statement during a press conference on Tuesday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre rejected Netanyahu’s claim.

“We really don’t know what he’s talking about. We just don’t know,” she said.

Jean-Pierre further stressed that only one shipment of ammunition had been stopped. “We continue to have constructive discussions with the Israelis about the release of this particular shipment and have no news on this. There are no further interruptions or delays… Everything else is proceeding properly,” she assured.

also read: AOC says she wouldn’t be surprised if Donald Trump threw her in jail if elected: “That’s his motto”

Internet users’ reactions to AOC’s harsh criticism of Netanyahu

Meanwhile, AOC’s post received mixed reactions from X users, with some hitting back at her for calling Netanyahu a “war criminal.”

“AOC should go back to bartending,” one user wrote.

“And you should do laundry and make sandwiches,” added another.

“To all members of the Jewish community who see this post, remember that a vote for the Democrats in November is a vote for Hamas. Under President Trump, there was peace in the Middle East. It’s time for a change,” commented The Persistence.

A fourth user joked: “Am I supposed to like this meme?”