Far-left congresswoman spars with far-right former lawmaker in dispute over Israel votes.
By David Rosenberg, World Israel News
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez rejected calls for progressives to align with former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene on Israel policy, calling the Georgia Republican a “proven bigot and antisemite” and warning that the left should not partner with “white nationalists.”
The New York Democrat and member of the “Squad” of progressive House lawmakers made the comments during an appearance at the University of Chicago Institute of Politics, where she was asked about working across party lines.
Ocasio-Cortez said some bipartisan cooperation was necessary on issues such as banning stock trading by members of Congress, but drew a distinction when it came to Greene and Israel policy.
“There are certain places, certain areas where I don’t think that we should ignore some folks’ record on some of these issues,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “It’s about where we trust intent, where we trust where those outcomes are going.”
“I personally do not trust someone like Marjorie Taylor Greene, a proven bigot and antisemite, on the issues of what is good for Gazans and Israelis,” she said. “I don’t think that it benefits our movement, in that instance, to align the left with white nationalists. I don’t think it serves us.”
Greene responded on X by accusing Ocasio-Cortez of posturing while refusing to back her amendment to cut Israel-related funding.
“AOC refused to vote for my amendment to strip funding for Israel,” Greene wrote. “She can run her mouth all she wants but votes are the only thing that matters, not a bunch of words and nasty name calling.”
The clash centered in part on a July 2025 vote on the Department of Defense Appropriations Act. Ocasio-Cortez opposed the overall $831.5 billion bill, but also voted against a Greene amendment that would have blocked $500 million in funding for Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system.
Ocasio-Cortez said at the time that the amendment would not stop offensive US military aid or munitions used in Gaza, while cutting defensive missile protection.
The exchange highlighted tensions on the left over whether to embrace Greene’s recent criticism of Israel and US Middle East policy.
Jewish Insider reported that some far-left commentators criticized Ocasio-Cortez for refusing to treat Greene as a potential ally on Gaza, while others defended her refusal to overlook Greene’s record.
Greene has drawn longstanding accusations of antisemitism and conspiracy-mongering, including over a past social media post involving the Rothschild banking family and California wildfires.
During a 2025 appearance on Bill Maher’s show, Greene said she “didn’t even know the Rothschilds were Jewish” when she made the claim.
At the same time, Greene has won attention from some Democrats and anti-war voices after breaking with many Republicans over Gaza, saying last year that she did not want US taxpayers funding what she called “genocide” in a foreign war.
Ocasio-Cortez’s comments made clear that, at least on Israel and Gaza, she does not view shared opposition to some US policy as enough to justify a political alliance with Greene.
