Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) at SXSW 2019. Photo: Flickr.

A New York City Jewish leader based in Queens called out the borough’s congresswoman, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, after she falsely asserted that Israel keeps Palestinian children in cages.

Ocasio-Cortez, widely seen as the leader of the progressive “Squad” in the US House of Representatives, which also includes lawmakers Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, said at an event held in Austin, Texas, by the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), “I don’t believe that a child should be in a cage on our border, and I don’t believe a child should be in a cage in the West Bank.”

The DSA has endorsed the Palestinian-led boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) campaign to isolate Israel, and has claimed Zionism, the movement supporting the Jewish people’s right to self-determination, has “settler-colonialist and imperialist roots.” Ocasio-Cortez is the group’s most high-profile member.

During her remarks, the lawmaker further charged, “With media, with all this stuff, Palestine is basically a banned word. It’s censored. We don’t talk about it. No one knows about it.” Ocasio-Cortez did not elaborate on who censored the word “Palestine.”

The congresswoman’s district encompasses parts of Queens, and Michael Nussbaum, president of the Queens Jewish Community Council, said in a statement to the New York Post, “The Queens Jewish community is concerned when a local elected official makes spurious and reckless suggestions aimed at Israel.”

“Bombastic suggestions and lies are dangerous when spewed by sitting politicians anywhere on the political spectrum,” he argued. “When the far-left mimics the far-right in lies and exaggerations, democracy and dialogue suffers.”

“AOC is always asking for the ‘other side’ to understand her positions and that of the DSA and the BDS followers who wish to eliminate Israel from the Middle East map,” Nussbaum continued.

“If you wish to have a real discussion, the Queens Jewish Community Council is willing to engage you in an honest and open conversation,’’ he said of Ocasio-Cortez. “We will defend Israel, you will have to defend the indefensible … lies and distortions that spew hate and antisemitism.”

“Enough is enough. At some point, people need to be held accountable for their political lies,” Nussbaum added.

Ocasio-Cortez spokeswoman Lauren Hitt defended the congresswoman’s accusation, saying she was “referring to reports issued by the Human Rights Watch and others that have found an estimated 10,000 Palestinian children have been detained by Israeli security forces and prosecuted in the Israeli military court system since 2000.”