TRIANGLE, Virginia/WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Joe Biden met on Monday with the American representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and two other prominent liberal lawmakers opposed to the Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahuthe Gaza bombing campaign.
The meeting came as Biden’s support for the Israeli response to the Oct. 7 Hamas attack has divided Democrats, fraying Biden’s coalition of voters ahead of November’s presidential election.
Biden was seen entering the Oval Office with Ocasio-Cortez as well as senators Bernie Sanders and Ed Markey after returning aboard the Marine One helicopter to the White House after an Earth Day event they all attended in Virginia.
Lawmakers have sharply criticized Israeli policies, with Ocasio-Cortez last month describing the humanitarian situation in Gaza as “an ongoing genocide.”
Yet the New York congresswoman argued earlier this month for Biden’s re-election despite his support for Israel, citing a “vested interest in protecting democracy not only here domestically, but globally », in an interview with the media organization Zeteo.
“I learned a long time ago to listen to this lady,” Biden said of Ocasio-Cortez in Virginia. “We’re also going to talk more about another part of the world.”
The White House and lawmakers declined to comment on the subject of the meeting.
Earlier Monday, Biden said he condemned “the anti-Semitic protests” but also “those who don’t understand what’s going on with the Palestinians.” His administration has maintained its support for Israel but has placed increasing emphasis on the Palestinian humanitarian situation in recent months.
The Israeli assault on Gaza began after Hamas Islamists attacked Israel on October 7, killing 1,200 people, according to Israeli counts. The Israeli military offensive has killed 34,000 Palestinians in Gaza, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
Human rights advocates have reported a general increase in prejudice and hate incidents against Jews, Arabs and Muslims. Concern has been particularly great in recent days, with the start of the Jewish holiday of Passover on Monday evening.
(Reporting by Andrea Shalal and Trevor Hunnicutt; editing by Jonathan Oatis)
