US Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) speaks during a press conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on March 21, 2024. Photo: Craig Hudson/Sipa USA via Reuters Connect

US Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) boasted on Tuesday about leading a “whip operation” to garner votes among fellow lawmakers against additional military aid to Israel.

Ocasio-Cortez, one of the most prominent anti-Israel critics in Congress, detailed her efforts to deprive the Jewish state of military arms at a time of war during an “action call” with the New York City chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). The progressive lawmaker claimed that she helped persuade nearly 40 members of Congress to vote against aid to Israel, urging DSA to stay patient while the ideological left continues to gradually steer the Democratic Party against the Jewish state.

“Given the unfolding and ongoing genocide in Gaza, this has been an extraordinarily challenging year for the world, for a human rights movement, and for the broader left,” Ocasio-Cortez said.

“I think it’s important as well to note some of the progress that we have made federally this year,” she continued. “Earlier this year, I led a whip operation to organize a record high number of no votes on Israel’s supplemental vote, in order to withhold offensive weaponry on human rights conditions from the Israeli government.”

Ocasio-Cortez did not specify which specific legislation she helped oppose, although she may have been referring to a broad foreign aid package signed into law by US President Joe Biden in April that included about $15 billion in military assistance for Israel.

Ocasio-Cortez touted her success in delivering 37 “no” votes from the Democratic caucus, adding that these members of Congress were not exclusively from the far-left flank of the party. She stressed that progressives need to “broaden” the anti-Israel movement into an ideologically diverse coalition. 

The congresswoman also took shots at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), a prominent pro-Israel lobbying group based in Washington, DC, over its alleged “influence” over Congress, claiming that the organization has engaged in an “effort to unseat and target virtually any member of Congress that seriously challenges their power.” She also accused AIPAC of targeting “members of color” despite its support for several minority candidates, arguing that young progressives need to fight vigorously “for the human rights of Palestinians” and that the Palestinians have “very little political defense in the United States.”

DSA has ramped up its anti-Israel rhetoric since the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas’s massacre across southern Israel last Oct. 7. On the day of the atrocities, the far-left organization issued a statement saying that Hamas’s invasion was a “direct result of Israel’s apartheid regime.” The organization also encouraged its followers to attend an Oct. 8 “All Out for Palestine” event in Manhattan.

In January, DSA called for an “end to diplomatic and military support of Israel.” Then in April, the organization’s international committee, DSA IC, issued a missive defending Iran’s right to “self-defense” against the Jewish state. In addition, the socialist group slammed outgoing US Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) over his vote in favor of replenishing Israel’s Iron Dome air defense system. 

DSA’s New York City chapter previously repudiated Ocasio-Cortez over her support of a November 2023 House resolution which affirmed Israel’s “right to exist.” The national organization subsequently revoked its endorsement of her in July 2024, accusing the progressive firebrand of being insufficiently committed to the Palestinian cause.

Ocasio-Cortez recently received an onslaught of criticism from anti-Israel progressives over her decision to vote in favor of a resolution “condemning the rise of global antisemitism.” However, her participation in Tuesday’s “action call” may indicate that the congresswoman has mended fences with DSA.