Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York said Tuesday that she would vote against all U.S. military aid to Israel, including for defensive systems, a shift that underscores how opposition to the Israeli government has grown among various wings of the Democratic Party since the war in Gaza.
Speaking at a private, virtual forum with members of the New York City chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, Ms. Ocasio-Cortez was asked if her opposition to aid for Israel extended to its defensive systems.
The congresswoman said yes, according to her chief of staff, Mike Casca.
The forum was part of the Democratic Socialists of America’s endorsement process. The news outlet City & State previously reported Ms. Ocasio-Cortez’s remarks.
Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, one of the most prominent and vocal critics of the war, has long been opposed to sending money to Israel for offensive weaponry. But over the years her position on whether to support Israel’s Iron Dome, its vaunted air defense system, has been less clear.
In a statement on Wednesday, Ms. Ocasio-Cortez said the Israeli government did not require U.S. assistance to defend itself.
“I believe the Israeli government is well able to fund the Iron Dome system, which has proven critical to keep innocent civilians safe from rocket attacks and bombardment,” she said. “Consistent with my voting record to date, I will not support Congress sending more taxpayer dollars and military aid to a government that consistently ignores international law and U.S. law.”
Her announcement comes as support for Israel has fallen sharply among Democrats since the war in Gaza. The party has been consumed by debates about its stance toward Israel, with a growing number of Democratic lawmakers supporting some restrictions on military aid for Israel. Some prominent Democrats have said that they will no longer accept money from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, which long enjoyed bipartisan support but has emerged as a flashpoint in recent Democratic primaries. And several outspoken critics of Israel’s policies have won recent elections, including Mayor Zohran Mamdani of New York.
Ms. Ocasio-Cortez said in her statement that American allies “who need our military aid must understand that we will provide it consistent with the Leahy amendment,” which bars the United States from providing training or equipment to foreign military units that commit human rights violations. Israel has strongly denied accusations that it has carried out a genocide.
Ms. Ocasio-Cortez entered political office as an anti-establishment progressive and is one of the most prominent democratic socialists in the country. She has emerged as a leader in the Democratic Party and is considered a potential 2028 presidential candidate. But some progressives are eager to see her challenge Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the Democratic minority leader, in 2028.
In 2024 Ms. Ocasio-Cortez signed a statement with 18 other Congress members that said, “All of us support strengthening the Iron Dome and other defense systems.” In 2021 she voted “present” on a funding vote for the Iron Dome, saying that she had planned to vote no but had changed course in response to “hateful targeting.”
She has at times been at odds with the Democratic Socialists of America, particularly over Israel. In 2024, the national leadership of the organization pulled its endorsement of her, saying she had been insufficiently supportive of the pro-Palestinian movement.
The Democratic Socialists of America said in a statement at the time that Ms. Ocasio-Cortez had taken a “courageous” position by describing Israel’s conduct as a genocide. But it cited her position on U.S. aid for the Iron Dome in withdrawing the endorsement.
Last year, she voted against an amendment to a defense bill that would have pulled funding for the Iron Dome, arguing in a post on X that it would have “cut off defensive Iron Dome capacities while allowing the actual bombs killing Palestinians to continue.” Four progressive House Democrats were among those who voted in favor of the amendment: Representatives Al Green of Texas, Summer Lee of Pennsylvania, Rashida Tlaib of Minnesota and Ilhan Omar of Minnesota. Ms. Ocasio-Cortez went on to vote against the full defense appropriations bill.
Benjamin Oreskes is a reporter covering New York State politics and government for The Times.
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