Showing integrity and compassion on the question of Palestine is a rarity in American politics, and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) has stood out as an elected official that has done so. She has called out Israeli aggression, pushed for legislative action to defund Israel’s ongoing annexation of Palestinian land, publicly withdrawn her participation in an event commemorating former Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin, and defended fellow representative Ilhan Omar against charges of antisemitism — charges that had nothing to do with antisemitism and everything to do with being an outspoken supporter of Palestinian rights.

But at a recent event with a pro-Israel group, Ocasio-Cortez unfortunately showed less of her characteristic bravery. In explaining the “what” and the “how” of reaching a just peace between the Israeli state and Palestinians, she said:

When we talk about establishing peace, centering people’s humanities, protecting people’s rights, it’s not just about the “what” and the end goal, which often gets a lot of focus, but I actually think it’s much more about the “how” and the way that we are coming together, and how we interpret that “what” and how we act, the actions that we take to get to that “what” — and so what this really is about is that it’s a question, more than anything else, about process.