U.S. Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said that the future nominee of the Democratic Party for the presidency should reevaluate the military assistance that the U.S. government provides to Israel, as the unconditional support has led to catastrophic human rights abuses in Gaza.
Ocasio-Cortez was asked by Haaretz journalist Hagar Shezaf during a panel at the Munich Security Conference on Friday whether the Democratic candidate in the 2028 presidential election should reevaluate the military assistance that the U.S. provides to Israel.
“This isn’t just about a presidential election,”
she replied, arguing that the United States has a legal obligation to uphold its own laws governing foreign military assistance.
Did Unconditional U.S. Support Enable a Genocide in Gaza?
Ocasio-Cortez stated that
“unconditional military aid to Israel does not make sense”
and that it “enabled a genocide in Gaza.” She gave the death of thousands of women and children as proof of the unnecessary civilian casualties. She also pointed out that U.S. laws already mandate conditions on military aid if there is credible evidence of serious human rights abuses.
What Are the Leahy Laws and Why Do They Matter?
Ocasio-Cortez cited the Leahy laws, which were introduced in the 1990s by former Senator Patrick Leahy and ban the U.S. government from providing funding to foreign security units that have committed gross human rights abuses.
But Charles Blaha, a former director of the State Department office responsible for Leahy vetting, said that Israel does not receive the same treatment as other countries. Although U.S. officials said that Israeli units are held to the same standards, Blaha said that there has been an inconsistency in enforcement.
U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matt Whitaker did not directly answer the question about conditioning aid but referred to Israel as “one of our closest allies.”
Did Ocasio-Cortez Accuse Trump of Promoting Authoritarianism?
Earlier in the day, Ocasio-Cortez had accused President Donald Trump of trying to bring about an “age of authoritarianism” in foreign policy. She said that Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio had planned to pull the United States out of its leadership position in the world, so that dictators could take control of their regions. She said that this would lead to a world where Trump would be in charge of the Western Hemisphere, Vladimir Putin would be pressuring Europe, and that the U.S. allies would be weakened.
What Is Her Alternative Vision for U.S. Foreign Policy?
Ocasio-Cortez laid out what she described as a progressive vision for foreign policy, advocating for a return to a “rules-based order” but without what she characterized as “hypocrisies” in U.S. foreign policy that have been present for a long time. She said that U.S. leadership should be based on international law, human rights accountability, and multilateral diplomacy.
How Much Has the U.S. Funded Israel’s Wars Since 2023?
Reports released in October 2025 by the Costs of War Project at Brown University indicated that the financial and military assistance provided by the U.S. to Israel has surpassed $21 billion since October 2023, while other estimates placed the total expenditure at $31.35 to $33.77 billion and counting.
The reports indicated that Israel would not have been able to maintain large-scale military attacks in Gaza, increase hostilities with Iran, and launch strikes in Yemen without the help of U.S. weapons, money, and support.
Do Analysts Say Israel Depends on U.S. Military Support?
Analysts concur that U.S. support has been indispensable. Omar H. Rahman of the Middle East Council on Global Affairs stated that
“U.S. support is indispensable to Israeli military efforts in Gaza and the broader region.”
William D. Hartung of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft stated that
“The Israeli military campaign and regional escalation would not have been possible without U.S. funding, arms transfers, and political support.”
What Are the Human Costs of the Gaza War?
Based on the cited statistics, the Israeli war on Gaza has resulted in the deaths of at least 67,160 people and the wounding of 169,679 since October 2023, with thousands more reportedly buried under the rubble. Israel has also conducted attacks in Yemen and killed over 1,000 people in its June attack on Iran.
The United States has been Israel’s largest foreign aid recipient for decades, providing around $3.3 billion per year and over $150 billion cumulatively by 2022, with tens of billions of dollars more pledged in recent years through weapons sales agreements under the Biden and Trump administrations.
Could This Issue Shape the 2028 U.S. Election?
It is still unclear how prominent the issue of Israel-Gaza policy will be in the presidential election of 2028, but it is believed that it could become a defining issue in Democratic politics. Some possible presidential candidates from the Democratic Party have already taken more critical stances than the previous leaders of the party.
Matt Duss of the Center for International Policy stated that the Democratic candidates could find it difficult to win the primaries without addressing the U.S. role in Gaza.