Woke is Not Dead: AOC Faces Backlash for Criticizing the Israel Lobby

On November 17, 2024, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez set off a storm when she said on social media that “if people want to talk about members of Congress being overly influenced by a special interest group” then “they should be discussing AIPAC.” Amy Spitalnick, the CEO of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, claimed that Cortez was playing into “dangerous tropes” by focusing on the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). Jonathan Greenblatt, the CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, add ed that it was “deeply concerning” that AOC was blaming AIPAC for “overly influencing Congress,” and accused her of “scapegoating the Jews.”

AIPAC is tasked solely with strengthening bipartisan American relations with Israel. Even as far back as 1987, The New York Times considered them to be a “major force in shaping United States policy in the Middle East” and all for the betterment of Israel. They donate annually to nearly every U.S. politician on both sides of the aisle, caring only to receive in return support for the State of Israel. They are the Israel lobby and while their influence is prominent, the significance of their role in politics comes from the immunity from criticism they have cultivated.

Anyone who criticizes AIPAC is accused of being antisemitic, with attacks on the Israel lobby being conflated with an attack on Jews. Every politician who has criticized AIPAC has received this sort of manipulative backlash, with AOC being the latest victim. Rep. Thomas Massie, who has spoken ill of AIPAC and voted against bills that support Israel, was on the receiving end of AIPAC-funded TV advertisements that smeared him as antisemitic and a hater of Israel. “The Squad,” who are a couple of progressive Democrat Representatives that include Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, have also been vocal against AIPAC and have been accused of believing that “Jews are second-class constituents.”

The array of criticism directed at AIPAC is fair and appropriate, as it should be against any powerful lobbying group that meddles in politics on behalf of foreign nations. The merits of the criticism are irrelevant, however, for merely expressing criticism leads to immense backlash and, in some cases to being cancelled. The backlash is not only a testament to the problematic nature of American politics when it comes to Israel, but it highlights how wokeism continues to exist, especially on the side that ironically proclaims, following Donald Trump’s presidential victory, that “woke is dead.”

The inability to criticize the most powerful Israel lobby in America stems from the fact that it is largely taboo, particularly in politics, to speak ill of Israel. The backlash that the likes of AOC and Massie have faced is thus a symptom of a larger problem: the allegiance that American politicians are universally expected to uphold for Israel. While the right often criticizes the left for resorting to identity politics and playing up victim narratives surrounding racial minorities, some of the mainstream right-wingers have proven to be first in line to scream antisemitism and “hate-speech” when Israel, and so too its most powerful lobbying group, is faced with disdain or disapproval.

An important point that is often overlooked on this issue, and one that ought to be mentioned, is the fact that AIPAC doesn’t represent Jews, but rather Israel. Conflating the interests between the two would be a mistake. Political pundits who use Jews as a cover to shield the Israeli government and AIPAC from criticism are doing so at the expense of many Jews. Their actions fuel hatred and mistrust. It also treats Jews as homogenous and perpetuates the notion that there aren’t any Jews who don’t ascribe to the Zionist belief that the State of Israel represents them or is the embodiment of their homeland.

It is consequently those who pull the “antisemitism” card that are, ironically, the ones scapegoating and harming the image and reputation of Jews. Whether or not this is all done inadvertently or deliberately would be a good question to ponder. Therefore, while being outraged at the inability to criticize Israel and thus AIPAC is more than warranted, the blame should not be thrust upon Jews as a whole. After all, many of them are, akin to other racial or religious minorities, used as pawns by race hustlers and politically motivated parties.