Television host Chris Cuomo slammed progressive firebrand Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for accusing Israel of using exploding pagers to kill Hezbollah terrorists in Lebanon.
Cuomo, who hosts a prime-time news talk show on the cable channel NewsNation, denounced members of the “Squad” after the New York Democrat accused Israel of “clear and blatant human rights violations.”[ing] “International Humanitarian Law”
“Why don't you say the pager belonged to a member of a terrorist organization intent on destroying Israel?” Cuomo countered.
“Were you defending al-Qaeda when the U.S. was attacking them in Iraq?”
Ocasio-Cortez responded to Cuomo's comments by pointing out that one of the two children killed in the pager attack was a 9-year-old Lebanese girl.
“Chris, what exactly did that murdered 9 year old girl do?” she wrote.
“To imply that anyone who questions the way the operation is being carried out, including civilian casualties, is siding with the terrorists is a terrible and ugly retconning of our past. Would you support re-entering Afghanistan?”
Cuomo noted on his NewsNation show that Ocasio-Cortez's congressional office had been vandalized by protesters.
The congressman wrote to X that his office had “signs plastered with blood.” [her] It's supporting terrorism.”
“You must be naive to not know that I have a soft spot for bullies,” Ocasio-Cortez wrote.
Cuomo said on NewsNation on Friday that Ocasio-Cortez's criticism of Israel, particularly about whether placing explosives in pagers violates U.S. regulations, was “completely wrong.”
“First, Israel is not part of the United States and is not subject to U.S. laws and regulations,” Cuomo said.
“Secondly, if the representative was implying by that comparison that the United States should not support Israel, I wish him well in that.”
Cuomo said the Defense Department's Law of War manual prohibits the “indiscriminate” use of booby traps.
He said Israel was justified in using pager tactics. “A group of bloodthirsty terrorists [were] come [them].”
“So she didn't read that part because she's not a lawyer, because she wasn't thorough, or because she purposely didn't want to be impartial?”
Cuomo said Ocasio-Cortez doesn't value her opponent as a “human being” as much as he does, especially in light of her reaction to the vandalism of her office.
“I encourage you to come to my office and speak out against the people who do these ugly things,” Cuomo said.
“Imagine if you actually got a bomb threat. It would be a lot worse, right?”
Cuomo said Ocasio-Cortez did not condemn the bomb threats against Rep. Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), adding, “She also never said anything about the assassination attempt against former President Trump.”
“Clearly she doesn't value her opponent as a person as much as she does,” Cuomo said of Ocasio-Cortez.
“That's a bigger problem than her misinterpreting the law and charging a besieged ally with war crimes.”
The Washington Post has reached out to Ocasio-Cortez for comment.
