The Biden campaign accused progressive firebrand Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D., N.Y.) of undermining the Democratic Party by pulling out of an upcoming event meant to honor Israeli peacemaker Yitzhak Rabin.
A Biden campaign associate called Ocasio-Cortez's decision "problematic" and told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that "if she agrees [to participate in the event] and then pulls out, she’s creating problems for her own party."
Ocasio-Cortez was scheduled to participate in an Oct. 20 event sponsored by the dovish Americans for Peace Now that will memorialize the former Israeli prime minister, who was assassinated in 1995 for his efforts to foster peace with the Palestinians.
Ocasio-Cortez withdrew from the event late last week after anti-Israel activists called out her participation in an event honoring an Israeli leader.
The incident is just the latest flashpoint between Biden’s campaign and far-left Democrats who object to the former vice president’s pro-Israel policies. Ocasio-Cortez and her allies in Congress have tried to push the Democratic Party to adopt policies many see as anti-Israel, including lending support to the Israel boycott movement.
Ocasio-Cortez claimed on Twitter that the Americans for Peace Now event was not billed to her as a memorial to Rabin.
"This event and my involvement was presented to my team differently from how it’s now being promoted," she wrote following questions about her participation.