President Joe Biden on Monday met with Democrat Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and two other prominent liberal lawmakers opposed to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Gaza bombing campaign.
The meeting came as Biden’s support for Israel’s response to the Oct. 7 Hamas attack has divided Democrats, fraying Biden’s coalition of voters ahead of November’s presidential election.
Biden was seen walking into the Oval Office with Ocasio-Cortez as well as Sens. Bernie Sanders and Ed Markey after returning aboard the Marine One helicopter to the White House from an Earth Day event they all attended in Virginia.
The lawmakers have sharply criticized Israel’s policies, with Ocasio-Cortez last month describing the humanitarian situation in Gaza as like “an unfolding genocide.”
Still, the congresswoman from New York earlier this month made a case for Biden’s reelection despite his support for Israel, citing a “a vested interest in protecting democracy not just here domestically, but globally,” in an interview with the media organization Zeteo.
