Fetterman eviscerates anti-Israel ‘rot’ in Democratic party, shuts down AOC’s ‘genocide’ rhetoric

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., blasted what he called a “rot” within the Democratic Party, citing what he described as its growing anti-Israel wing.

The Pennsylvania Democrat was responding to comments from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., suggesting the United States should consider withholding aid to Israel.

Ocasio-Cortez said the United States’ “unconditional” support for Israel helped facilitate a “genocide” in Gaza, a characterization Fetterman rejected.

“There was never any genocide in Gaza, absolutely, and there shouldn’t ever be any conditions for aid for Israel, because they were in an existential war,” he said on “Saturday in America.”

“That’s part of the problem with the very anti-Israel part of my party,” he added.

Fetterman went further, accusing some Democrats of aligning with anti-Israel activists.

“Why would you align yourself [with] raging antisemites and very pro-Hamas people like Hasan Piker?” Fetterman questioned.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) speaks during the Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany, Feb. 13. REUTERS

“There’s a rot in my party standing with pro-Hamas people like that,” he said. 

Fox News Digital reached out to Hasan Piker and Ocasio-Cortez for comment, but did not immediately hear back. 

Ocasio-Cortez made the comments while speaking at the annual Munich Security Conference among various world leaders. She and other progressive Democrats have called for conditions on U.S. aid to Israel following its war with Hamas.

Fetterman also questioned why Ocasio-Cortez hasn’t criticized Iran as sharply as she has Israel. As of Jan. 25, the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reported more than 5,800 people had been killed during the Iranian government’s crackdown on anti-regime protests.

U.S. Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) speaks during a hearing on oversight of the Department of Homeland Security before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Feb. 12, in Washington, DC. Getty Images

“Why is she so eager to criticize and find a way to criticize Israel? But I don’t really recall them saying anything as Iran was executing thousands and thousands of their protesters,” said Fetterman.

His comments underscore a growing divide within the Democratic Party over support for Israel. Many progressives have pushed for stricter conditions on aid, while Fetterman has repeatedly broken with his party to defend the Jewish state.

Ocasio-Cortez wasn’t the only Democrat at the Munich Security Conference — Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Arizona Sens. Ruben Gallego and Mark Kelly also attended, as political analysts say the event could double as an early stage for Democrats eyeing a 2028 presidential bid.