New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani ignited a new firestorm Wednesday after using his official statement marking the third anniversary of the October 7 Hamas massacre to accuse Israel of carrying out an “ongoing genocide” in Gaza, practicing “apartheid” and committing “war crimes” with American support.

While Mamdani began his statement by acknowledging the Israelis murdered and kidnapped during the Hamas-led attack, the bulk of his message focused on condemning Israel and the United States, prompting fierce criticism from Israeli officials and Jewish leaders who accused the mayor of turning the anniversary of the deadliest attack on Jews since the Holocaust into a platform for his longstanding attacks on the Jewish state.

“This day is profoundly painful for so many New Yorkers. It marks three years since the horrific war crimes of October 7. On that day, Hamas killed more than 1,100 Israelis and abducted 251 others. We grieve alongside our many friends and neighbors who still carry that unthinkable loss,” Mamdani said.

He then pivoted immediately to Gaza.

“The suffering did not begin nor end that day. It instead continued through the Israeli government’s devastating, ongoing genocide in Gaza, in which it has killed more than 74,000 Palestinians—including more than 21,000 children. Even since the so-called ceasefire, more than 1,400 Palestinians have been killed. That suffering has intensified with every Israeli bomb dropped on ambulances waiting outside hospitals, every drone strike targeting a residential building or journalist, and every shipment of food aid turned away at a border crossing. Many New Yorkers are reckoning with this unbearable grief, and we mourn alongside them—all while knowing that our tax dollars fund these war crimes.”

The casualty figures cited by Mamdani are based on figures from authorities in Hamas-run Gaza. Israel has disputed Hamas’s accounting of casualties throughout the war and strongly rejects allegations that its campaign constitutes genocide, saying its military operations target Hamas and other terrorist organizations while seeking to minimize civilian casualties. Israel also disputes accusations that it systematically blocks humanitarian aid from entering Gaza.

Mamdani went on to condemn Israel’s presence in Palestinian territories and Washington’s continued military assistance to the Jewish state.

“Three years later, we must refuse to accept a world in which occupation and apartheid continue, where war crimes are met with impunity, and our federal government continues its complicity with every arms shipment,” said Mamdani.

“To honor the dead, we must fight for a world in which every person can live with freedom, safety, and dignity.”

The statement came exactly three years after Hamas-led terrorists stormed across Israel’s border on October 7, 2023, murdering approximately 1,200 people and abducting 251 hostages into Gaza. Entire communities along the Gaza border were devastated, hundreds of young people were murdered at the Nova music festival, and families were slaughtered or abducted from their homes.

Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon blasted Mamdani for using the anniversary to shift attention from the victims of the Hamas massacre to accusations against Israel.

“What he is trying to do is hijack the only day we have for the victims and survivors. He’s trying to hijack the day to talk about attacking Israel,” Israeli UN Ambassador Danny Danon told The Post.

Danon compared Mamdani’s approach to using the anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks to focus simultaneously on the terrorists responsible for them.

“It’s like on 9/11 you talked about victims and al-Qaeda terrorists. It’s basically taking the only day we have for victims and trying to attack Israel with propaganda. He’s dangerous and sophisticated. He will go to both ceremonies and try to say he feels for both losses of life.”

Menashe Shapiro, who served as an adviser to Mamdani’s predecessor, Mayor Eric Adams, issued an even more blistering condemnation, calling the mayor’s statement “incitement and electronic violence against New York’s Jews.”

“He doesn’t get to hide behind Hamas’ made-up stats to justify his open Jew-hatred.”

The controversy comes amid already strained relations between Mamdani and significant portions of New York’s Jewish community over his rhetoric concerning Israel. Mamdani has repeatedly accused Israel of genocide and has sharply criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli government.

Those tensions have persisted even as Mamdani has sought to reassure Jewish New Yorkers that his administration is committed to combating antisemitism. Just days before the October 7 anniversary, City Hall unveiled a new citywide strategy to fight antisemitism, including enhanced security around Jewish institutions, educational initiatives and efforts to address anti-Jewish hate crimes.

A new survey released Wednesday underscored the depth of the divide. The poll of 503 Jewish voters across New York City found that 65% disapproved of Mamdani’s handling of antisemitism, including 47% who strongly disapproved, while 34% approved.

The survey also found substantial opposition among Jewish respondents to Mamdani holding or attending an official city commemoration of October 7, reflecting the distrust that has developed between the mayor and portions of the community.

The issue has taken on particular urgency in New York, home to the largest Jewish population outside Israel. NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said this week that antisemitic incidents continue to constitute more than half of all reported hate crimes in the city, even though Jews represent only a fraction of New York’s population.

Mamdani has faced criticism from Jewish leaders before over the effect they say his language about Israel can have on Jewish New Yorkers. During an August meeting with a group of rabbis and Jewish leaders, participants directly confronted the mayor over those concerns.

{Matzav.com}