Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Against the Iron Dome

The declaration from one of the Democratic Party’s ascendent stars, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, that she will “never” vote to authorize funding to Israel — including for defense systems like the Iron Dome — is a bleak barometer of where her party is headed, or has arrived. It came on the heels of the announcement that the Democratic National Committee could consider formally condemning AIPAC next month.The Democrats are turning against the Jewish state, and fast. Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, who could challenge Senator Charles Schumer in 2028 or run for president, told a virtual meeting of the Democratic Socialists that “I have not once ever voted to authorize funding to Israel, and I will never.” She was asked if she would “commit to voting ‘no’ for any spending on arms for Israel, including so-called ‘defensive capabilities?” She answered “Yes.”Those comments came even as Iranian cluster bombs fell on Israel. The Islamic Republic has fired some 400 ballistic missiles at the Jewish state since the war began. Iron Dome and other defensive systems have intercepted more than 90 percent of that barrage, saving untold lives — of Jews, Christians, and Muslims alike. At that same DSA meeting Ms. Ocasio-Cortez pledged to oppose the definition of antisemitism that denounces anti-Zionism. This latest colloquy, reported by City & State, comes some four years after Ms. Ocasio-Cortez sniveled on the House floor after she switched her vote to “present” from “no” on a bill to fund the Iron Dome to the tune of some $1 billion. She then posted to her website an apology that read “To those I have disappointed — I am deeply sorry. To those who believe this reasoning is insufficient or cowardice — I understand.”AOC appears to be done apologizing. She regularly accuses Israel of genocide, and took that libel overseas to the Munich Security Conference. Her confidence suggests that she feels that the ideological winds are at her back. Witness the statement by California gubernatorial candidate Tom Steyer, a billionaire, who on Monday declared that “AIPAC is a dark money organization that should have no place in our politics.”AIPAC responded that Mr. Steyer’s comments mean “Special rules just for pro-Israel Americans.” Mr. Steyer and Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, though, are reflecting a change in the electorate. An NBC poll released last month asked Democrats “Are your sympathies more with the Israelis or more with the Palestinians?” The results were 67 percent to 17 percent in favor of the Palestinian Arabs. NBC calls it “a sea change that is transforming the Democratic Party.”The proposed DNC resolution condemns “the growing influence of dark money and corporate-backed independent expenditures in Democratic elections” but mentions only AIPAC. Never mind that, as the liberal Brennan Center reports, “overall, dark money groups boosting Democrats put up about $1.2 billion to influence 2024 elections, while groups boosting Republicans accounted for about $664 million.” Yet AIPAC has become the left’s litmus test.It is no shock that Ms. Ocasio-Cortez’s abandonment of Iron Dome comes a month or so after she lashed AIPAC as a “right-wing organization that undermines democracy” and one that takes positions at odds with the “views of the majority of Americans, who find the genocide in Gaza an appalling affront to American values.” AIPAC, though, is an American lobbying organization that represents American interests in a strong Israel.Ms. Ocasio-Cortez’s decision to leave Tel Aviv undefended before Iranian missiles comes even as countries abroad are beginning to grasp the value of Israel’s defenses. We wrote about how Volkswagen is considering partnering with the maker of Iron Dome to produce parts. Romania is set to be the first European country to purchase a version of the system, with one reasoning that it “protects Tel Aviv. It will also protect us.”

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Against the Iron Dome

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