Taking the stage at the Munich Security Conference this weekend, two prominent progressive lawmakers rumored to be eyeing presidential runs in 2028, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT), used the opportunity to bash Israel.

Criticism of Israel isn’t new for either lawmaker, but taking place on one of the most prominent foreign policy stages in the world, their remarks are a sign of the anti-Israel current that continues to course through the Democratic Party, particularly on its left flank.

Ocasio-Cortez, calling for the U.S. to condition aid to Israel, repeated accusations that Israel committed genocide in Gaza.

“The United States has an obligation to uphold its own laws, particularly the Leahy laws,” Ocasio-Cortez said, referring to laws that require suspension of aid to military units engaged in war crimes. “And I think that personally, that the idea of completely unconditional aid, no matter what one does, does not make sense. I think it enabled a genocide in Gaza. And I think that we have thousands of women and children dead … that was completely avoidable.”

Adding insult to injury for some observers, Ocasio-Cortez leveled the accusations in Munich, the site of Adolf Hitler’s Beer Hall Putsch, which ultimately catalyzed his rise to power.

Ocasio-Cortez’s appearance at the conference was a foreign policy test for the congresswoman — one she ended up struggling to pass. Despite studying under the tutelage of Matt Duss, a former foreign policy advisor to Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), she faced accusations that she remains unprepared to tackle global issues, accentuated by her stumbling response when asked whether the U.S. should come to the defense of Taiwan if it was attacked by China. (The New York Times headline: “Ocasio-Cortez Offers a Working Class Vision in Munich, with Some Stumbles”)

At the end of the weekend, Ocasio-Cortez griped that her gaffes and perceived presidential ambitions overshadowed the message she intended to deliver, denying that the trip had anything to do with a potential presidential run. Several congressional allies jumped in to back up Ocasio-Cortez.

Murphy, in a separate session, also continued the theme of Democrats’ Israel-bashing. He questioned the reality of the ceasefire in Gaza, emphasizing Israeli violations of the ceasefire agreement while not mentioning Hamas’ continued violations.

“Well, is there a ceasefire? Hundreds of Gazans have been killed since the announcement. Israel still reserves the right and, in fact, is potentially making plans to go back in with a new, significant, deadly ground invasion,” Murphy said, also criticizing the Trump administration’s Board of Peace for failing to include European allies and accusing the administration of focusing on public announcements over substance. 

Hamas has also repeatedly violated the ceasefire agreement and some of the Israeli strikes have come in response to those violations, or have targeted individual Hamas leaders. And the terrorist group continues to refuse to adhere to one of the basic requirements of the agreement, that it disarm.

Several other potential Democratic presidential contenders also attended the conference, including Govs. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan and Gavin Newsom of California, Sens. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) and former Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo. Whitmer, too, faced accusations that she’s unprepared for the world stage following a hesitant response on Ukraine policy.

Meanwhile, back home, Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA), another potential 2028 contender, has been fending off accusations of antisemitism over his use of the term “Epstein class” to refer broadly to political and economic elites affiliated with convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, who was Jewish.

The case, and disclosures of files related to it pushed by Khanna and other lawmakers, has generated a slew of antisemitic conspiracy theories, including largely unfounded accusations that Epstein was acting as an agent of Israel.

In a Washington Post op-ed last week, Matthew Schmitz, the editor of Compact magazine, said that the “Epstein class” phrase, which Khanna said he coined and popularized, “can be taken as an association of exploitative wealth with Jewish identity.”

Khanna responded, saying on X, “[Schmitz] believes that my coining the phrase Epstein class & [Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA)] using it subsequently in a speech is ‘antisemitic.’ I reject conspiracy theories. But we must call out rich and powerful men who act above the law. Democrats should campaign against the Epstein class.”
Khanna’s also facing criticism for a House floor speech and online comments in which he characterized four men as “likely incriminated” in Epstein’s crimes who turned out to be unrelated individuals included in police lineups related to the case.