Marjorie Taylor Greene, far-right US congresswoman, calls Israeli offensive a 'genocide'

BEIRUT — Far-right American congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, an ally of Donald Trump, denounced the catastrophic situation in Gaza in a social media post, which she called a "genocide."

"It is completely true to say that the events of Oct. 7 in Israel were horrific and that all hostages must be freed, but the same goes for the genocide, humanitarian crisis, and famine ravaging Gaza," she posted on her X account.

With these statements on her X account, the staunchly pro-Trump congresswoman became the first Republican member of Congress to use the term "genocide" to describe Israel's actions in the Palestinian territory.

"A Jewish American representative who calls for continuing to starve innocents and children is shameful. His appalling statement will only fuel antisemitism," Greene said, responding to comments from Congressman Randy Fine, who was elected earlier this year with the support of the American president and AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee).

Fine had called the ongoing famine in Gaza "Muslim terrorist propaganda." Fine had posted on social media earlier this week: "Release the hostages (...) Until then, let them [the Palestinians, ed.] starve."

The Georgia lawmaker has long prided herself on defending the "America First" policy championed by Donald Trump, which has isolationist leanings. In mid-July, she introduced a bill aimed at cutting $500 million in U.S. funding for Israel's missile defense system. "Israel is a nuclear-armed country, quite capable of defending itself," she declared at the time.

Since the founding of the State of Israel, support from Washington has generally had bipartisan consensus in Congress, but especially on the right. This stance is explained in part by the influence of certain evangelical Christian movements that see the Jewish state as a fulfillment of biblical prophecies.

For his part, Democratic congressman John Garamendi also declared last week that "it is impossible to see the famine caused by (...) Israel and not recognize that genocide is being committed against the Palestinian people."

U.N. agencies on Tuesday called to "flood" the Gaza Strip with food aid to prevent "widespread famine," as the number of Palestinians killed during the Israeli military offensive in Gaza surpasses 60,000, according to the enclave's health ministry.