AOC SPEAKS AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH: ANTISEMITISM IS UNDERMINING THE PROGRESSIVES

AOC may be with “The Squad,” but she has drawn a line in the sand between her views and the rank antisemitism of “Squadders” like Cori Bush and Ilhan Omar, and the Hamas embracing of Rashida Tlaib.

Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, better known as AOC, is not one to ignore. She pulled off a surprise upset of one of the most entrenched Democratic leaders in Congress, and she holds great sway over young and progressive Democrats.

I find AOC’s views on most issues to be quite similar to mine, particularly on domestic issues. I part company with her on the Middle East; I don’t think she has a firm grasp on all of the facts, and I believe she is a compassionate person who is reacting to the suffering of the Palestinians of Gaza, but is not giving sufficient thought to who has caused them these nightmares. She’s no antisemite, or anything close, and she is not one of those calling for Israel to be dismantled or even boycotted. She is correct that criticism of Israel or its government is not antisemitism per se; I regularly criticize the right wing government, and the Democratic Jewish group I’m in called for Netanyahu to be gone well before Chuck Schumer did.

As one who considers myself a progressive Democrat, I often feel unwelcome among the extreme leftists who call themselves “progressives” or “Democrats,” but…