Members of the progressive “squad” in Congress, who are affiliated with the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), remained mum on the DSA’s rally in New York City on Sunday, which supported the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas and its attack on Israel over the weekend.
While Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), who the DSA has regarded as its “foremost socialist superstar,” condemned the attack on Israel “in the strongest possible terms,” as Politico noted Sunday, she has not weighed in on the DSA’s rally in her home city. Breitbart News reached out to her office, asking where she stands regarding the rally, but received no response as of this publication.
Young Israeli woman named Noa who was attending a music festival promoting peace near the Gaza border has been kidnapped by Hamas militants and driven away on a motorcycle. pic.twitter.com/IT5gSZkMjE
— Oli London (@OliLondonTV) October 7, 2023
She added in her statement that “an immediate ceasefire and de-escalation is urgently needed to save lives,” per Politico.
The office of another member of the squad affiliated with the DSA, Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), did not respond to Breitbart News’s comment request as of this publication, asking if she condemned or supported the rally. Tlaib, a Palestinian-American, said in a statement on Sunday she was grieving the “Palestinian and Israeli lives lost” but did not condemn Hamas’s attacks.
This Israeli mother and her 2 daughters were kidnapped by Hamas today and are now held hostage in Gaza pic.twitter.com/wmPklsLouo
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) October 7, 2023
“The path to that future must include lifting the blockade, ending the occupation, and dismantling the apartheid system that creates the suffocating, dehumanizing conditions that can lead to resistance,” she added before blasting U.S. aid to Israel.
“As long as our country provides billions in unconditional funding to support the apartheid government, this heartbreaking cycle of violence will continue,” she said.
Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) blames Israel for the Palestinian terrorist attacks that have killed hundreds
— Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) October 8, 2023
Tlaib, who is Palestinian, does not condemn the attacks and calls for the U.S. to defund Israel pic.twitter.com/Llc4Lsrns8
Tlaib caught heat for her comments. Danny Danon, the 17th permanent representative for Israel to the United Nations, slammed her comments as “simply beyond belief”:
This response is simply beyond belief. While even the worst Israel bashers denounced the barbaric attacks by the Hamas terror group against innocent Israeli citizens, @RashidaTlaib is unable to condemn the atrocities and instead insists on mourning the death of terrorists. Even… pic.twitter.com/vw4Kw2Svps
— Danny Danon 🇮🇱 דני דנון (@dannydanon) October 9, 2023
“While even the worst Israel bashers denounced the barbaric attacks by the Hamas terror group against innocent Israeli citizens, @RashidaTlaib is unable to condemn the atrocities and instead insists on mourning the death of terrorists,” he wrote.
Notably, Tlaib’s second-to-last post on X as of this writing was a retweet from the DSA’s Detroit arm on Friday, a day before Hamas’s attack.
Another squad member, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), condemned the “horrific acts” that took place “in Israel against children, women, the elderly, and the unarmed” but did not weigh in on the DSA’s New York City rally. Breitbart News did not hear back on a comment request to a senior adviser for Omar at the time of publication.
I condemn the horrific acts we are seeing unfold today in Israel against children, women, the elderly, and the unarmed people who are being slaughtered and taken hostage by Hamas. Such senseless violence will only repeat the back and forth cycle we've seen, which we cannot allow…
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) October 7, 2023
Similarly, Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY), who made news by pulling the fire alarm moments before the House was set to vote on a bill in an effort to avoid a government shutdown several weeks ago, came out against the terrorist attacks but has remained silent regarding the DSA’s rally in his home city. A Bowman press secretary had not responded to Breitbart News at the time of publication.
“I strongly condemn the horrific attacks by Hamas and am saddened by the loss of precious lives, especially on the holy day of Simchat Torah,” he said Saturday in a statement.
Yet another example of #Palestinian barbarity and cruelty#Israel #Israel_under_attack #Israelunderattack #DestroyHamas https://t.co/snLIDVPhdn
— Michael Freund (@msfreund) October 8, 2023
Notably, the DSA in 2021 was up in arms over Bowman’s vote to fund Israel’s Iron Dome, calling it egregious, and was critical of a trip he took to Israel with J Street.
The silence from these four squad members is in contrast to some prominent Democrats, such as Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY) and Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), who condemned the rally, as Mondoweiss reported.
“The people of Israel are facing violent terrorist attacks and civilian kidnappings,” Hochul tweeted. “I condemn plans to rally in Times Square tomorrow in support of the perpetrators of these horrific actions. The planned rally is abhorrent and morally repugnant.”
“I can’t think of anything more ill-timed and cold-hearted than today’s demonstration in Times Square,” Schumer scorned.