‘Our Tax Dollars are a Part of This’: Ocasio-Cortez Condemns Killing of Al-Jazeera Journalist

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) condemned the killing of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh and indirectly floated the idea of cutting off U.S. foreign aid to Israel.

Akleh was shot and killed last week while covering clashes between the Israeli Defense Forces and Palestinian gunmen at the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank.

In a video posted on her Instagram account on Thursday, Ocasio-Cortez said, “I think it’s really important for us to have eyes on what happened with Shireen Abu Akleh in Palestine … she was killed by Israeli forces — a venerated journalist, a US citizen. We can’t allow this stuff to be happening with our resources.”

“Our tax dollars are a part of this. Our resources are a part of this,” she said. “We can’t even get healthcare in the US, and we’re funding this. There has to be some sort of line that we draw.”

However, it has not been officially determined who killed Akleh. Although Al Jazeera Media Network and the Palestinians have blamed Israel, Israel is investigating the cause of her death and has not yet released their findings.

In a  tweet, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said, “We are heartbroken by and strongly condemn the killing of American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh in the West Bank. The investigation must be immediate and thorough and those responsible must be held accountable. Her death is an affront to media freedom everywhere.”

We are heartbroken by and strongly condemn the killing of American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh in the West Bank. The investigation must be immediate and thorough and those responsible must be held accountable. Her death is an affront to media freedom everywhere.

— Ned Price (@StateDeptSpox) May 11, 2022

Watch above, via Ocasio-Cortez’s Instagram.

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