Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat from New York, has faced criticism for a recent social media post in which she drew parallels between the story of Jesus Christ and the plight of the Palestinian people, while neglecting to mention the role of Hamas or their hostages.
Ocasio-Cortez wrote, "In the story of Christmas, Christ was born in modern-day Palestine under the threat of a government engaged in a massacre of innocents," referring to the Jewish population that resided in the region over two millennia ago under Roman rule. "He was part of a targeted population being indiscriminately killed to protect an unjust leaders power."
She continued, "Thousands of years later, right-wing forces are violently occupying Bethlehem as similar stories unfold for todays Palestinians, so much so that the Christian community in Bethlehem has canceled this years Christmas Eve celebrations out of both [fear for their] safety and respect." It should be noted that Bethlehem is currently under the jurisdiction of the Palestinian Authority.
"The entire story of Christmas and Christ himself is about standing with the poor and powerless, the marginalized and maligned, the refugees and immigrants, the outcast and misunderstood without exception," she concluded.
Jacob Kornbluh, a senior political reporter at The Forward, took to social media to criticize Ocasio-Cortez for her failure to mention "Hamas terror" or "the victims of Oct. 7 attack."
Pro-Israel activist Andrea Karshan expressed disappointment that some individuals are politicizing Christmas, rather than enjoying the holiday, as reported by The New York Post.
In November, Ocasio-Cortez and 23 other Democrats penned a letter to President Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, seeking information about their strategies to reduce violence in the region as Israel continued its incursion into the Gaza Strip.
"We reaffirm our unequivocal condemnation of the Hamas attacks on Israel that took place on October 7th, in which Hamas killed over 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals, and captured over 200 hostages, who were subsequently taken to Gaza," the Democrats wrote.
"We also share dire concerns with the ongoing Israeli response, in which the Israeli Defense Forces have killed over 11,078 Palestinians, nearly half of whom have been children," they added, citing figures provided by Hamas.
Bethlehem, traditionally recognized as the birthplace of Jesus Christ, announced the cancellation of its customary Christmas celebrations in solidarity with Gaza amid the ongoing violence. The city council also removed the usual decorations "in honor of the martyrs," according to a Facebook post.
Theologian Jonathan Morris told Fox News that the decision was "a political statement overtaking something that we Christians and that Christians of Bethlehem consider to be so sacred."
However, a spokesperson for the Bethlehem city council told the Telegraph in November that celebrating "is not appropriate while there is a massacre happening in Gaza and attacks in the West Bank."
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