Nikki Haley
Nikki HaleyReuters

Former US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley on Wednesday ripped Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) after she suggested that Israel is deliberately targeting schools and civilians in its air strikes against Hamas terrorist targets.

Ocasio-Cortez, who is known for her criticism of Israel, had tweeted, “The United States should not be rubber-stamping weapons sales to the Israeli government as they deploy our resources to target international media outlets, schools, hospitals, humanitarian missions and civilian sites for bombing.”

“We have a responsibility to protect human rights,” she added.

The tweet failed to mention that Hamas hides behind civilians as it fires rockets towards Israeli cities, nor did it mention that the IDF provides ample warning to civilians to evacuate buildings in Gaza before they are struck.

Haley later responded to Ocasio-Cortez and wrote, "You are either mistaken or intentionally lying."

"Let's clear this up:

1. Hamas is using civilians as human shields to hide behind while firing rockets

2. Israel takes extensive measures to minimize civilian casualties

3. The media wasn't targeted, a terrorist organization was,” added the former ambassador.

Ocasio-Cortez has criticized both Israel’s response to rocket attacks from Gaza as well as the Biden administration’s support of Israel’s right to defend itself from these rocket attacks.

Ocasio-Cortez criticized Israel following the Muslim Arab riots and violence against Jewish civilians in Jerusalem.

"We stand in solidarity with the Palestinian residents of Sheikh Jarrah in East Jerusalem. Israeli forces are forcing families from their homes during Ramadan and inflicting violence. It is inhumane and the US must show leadership in safeguarding the human rights of Palestinians," she tweeted at the time.

"From the paramilitary violence in Colombia and Shiekh Jarrah, to the detention of children on our own border and the militarization of US police departments, the United States must seriously assess its role in state violence and condition aid," she added.

Ocasio-Cortez later accused President Joe Biden of “taking the side of occupation” after he spoke with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and told him that “Israel has a right to defend itself when you have thousands of rockets flying into your territory.”

These statements are not the first time that Ocasio-Cortez has criticized Israel.

In 2019, the then-freshman Congresswoman criticized Netanyahu in an interview with Israel’s Channel 12 News while arguing that criticizing Israel’s policies is not being anti-Semitic.

In a previous radio interview, Ocasio-Cortez said that Israel is “criminal” in its treatment of Palestinian Arabs, whom she said have no other choice but to “riot” against the Jewish state.

Before that, she said that cutting military and economic aid to Israel as a way to signal opposition to Israeli policies should be “on the table.”