NEW YORK — New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani tried to mark the third anniversary of the Oct. 7 attacks by condemning Hamas’ “horrific war crimes” and denouncing Israel’s “genocide” in Gaza, and drew anger from both sides, The Associated Press reported.
His statement began by recognizing the “unthinkable loss” suffered by Israelis, then said the suffering “continued through the Israeli government’s devastating, ongoing genocide in Gaza.”
U.S. Rep. Dan Goldman, a Jewish Democrat from New York, called it “a reprehensible statement on the anniversary of the horrific terrorist attack.” Ofir Akunis, Israel’s consul general in New York, called it a “disgrace, shame, and insult to the memory of those who were murdered on October 7.”
At the same time, pro-Palestinian protesters interrupted a Wednesday night vigil for victims of the Hamas attack to confront Mamdani and cast him as a traitor to their cause, according to the AP.
On Thursday, Mamdani told reporters, “I am the mayor of New York City and this is what I signed up for.”
Mamdani, the city’s first Muslim mayor, took office in January. He has denied claims that he holds antisemitic views and recently unveiled a plan to address antisemitism and hate crimes, the AP reported. He has also called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a “war criminal.”
Sources: KTAR News/AP. Thee Arizona Times uses AI-assisted reporting reviewed against the sources listed.
Photo: D. Benjamin Miller / CC0 via Wikimedia Commons.
