New York City police responded over the weekend after the campaign office of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was vandalized with anti-Israel graffiti.
The message, painted in red, declared, “AOC funds the genocide in Gaza.” Vandals also splattered paint at the entrance of her office before police arrived around 1 AM on Monday.
This incident followed Ocasio-Cortez’s vote against legislation put forth by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, which aimed to cut funding for the Israeli Defense Forces.
Many lawmakers expressed strong criticism of Israel’s actions in Gaza, arguing that the bill would only reduce funding for the “Iron Dome” system without addressing the bombs that are directly causing harm to Palestinians.
Greene’s proposal sought to eliminate about $500 million in funding to Israel. This came after a controversial attack by the Israeli Defense Forces on a Catholic church in Gaza.
She commented, “As Israel bombs the Catholic Church in Gaza and continues its aggressive war, innocent lives are being lost.” Greene further noted that her measures were focused on significantly reducing funding for Israeli missile defense systems when the U.S. already provides considerable military aid to Israel.
“With 37 trillion in national debt, we need to be prudent with our defense spending,” she stated.
It’s worth mentioning that members of the progressive caucus, including Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar, also supported Greene’s amendments.
Pope Leo XIII voiced his sorrow regarding the losses and called for a ceasefire after the strike on the church.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later commented that the church was accidentally hit by “stray ammunition.” The Pope expressed his heartfelt condolences to the parish community affected by the attacks.
