NYC mayoral front-runner Zohran Mamdani calls for end to 'occupation and apartheid' as he finally issues statement on Israel-Gaza cease-fire deal
Category: News & Politics
Via: vic-eldred • last year • 8 commentsBy: Matthew Fischetti (New York Post)
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Big Apple mayoral front-runner Zohran Mamdani called for an end to "occupation and apartheid" in a tardy statement Monday as the living Israeli hostages were returned after two years in Hamas' captivity.
"Today's scenes of Israelis and Palestinians are profoundly moving: Israeli hostages being freed and families reunited after years of fear, uncertainty, and torture; the first days in Gaza without relentless Israeli bombardment of Palestinians as families return to rubble and loved ones freed from detention," he said.
The vocal critic of Israel said there's a glimmer of hope that the ceasefire brokered by President Trump will hold, but also lamented American tax dollars that allegedly "funded a genocide" in Gaza after the Oct. 7., 2023, terror attacks.
"We must work towards a future built upon justice, one without occupation and apartheid, and for a world where every person can live with safety and dignity," he said.
The Israel-bashing statement came hours after his election rivals Andrew Cuomo and Curtis Sliwa praised the release of 20 captives by Hamas - a long-awaited moment that drew celebration across New York City among crowds in Central Park and political leaders of nearly all political stripes.
City Councilwoman Inna Vernikov, who is Jewish and pro-Israel, quickly lambasted Mamdani's statement.
"GLARINGLY MISSING FROM THIS WORD SALAD: Any single mention of HAMAS or the TERRORISTS who brought this upon themselves by murdering & raping their way across Israel on 10/7," the Republican wrote on X.
State Assemblyman Sam Berger, a Jewish Democrat repping Orthodox communities in Queens, said: "I'm going to need a fork to parse through this word salad for any mention of Hamas."
"This didn't need to be a two year wait. There didn't need to be a war. There didn't need to be hostages. People didn't need to die. And Hamas is solely to blame," he told The Post. "But an actual racist, violent, hate-filled organization like Hamas is an inconvenient truth for Zohran's 'anti-Jewish state' narrative."
Mamdani's hours-long silence on the hostages' release "speaks volumes," Cuomo argued.
The former governor, who is running as an independent for mayor, evoked Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel's famous quote: "The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference."
"Today, we reject indifference & choose remembrance," he said in a statement. "This is more than a diplomatic success; it is a moral moment, a reminder of our shared humanity and the sacred value of every life. We must never forget the terrorist act that brought us here, and we must stand together to say, with one voice: never forget and never again. Terrorism has no place in Gaza, in the Middle East, or anywhere in the world."
Sliwa, the Republican nominee, found spiritual significance in the agonizing 738 days that the hostages stayed in captivity.
"A massive weight has been lifted from their families' shoulders," he said. "Peace is always the ultimate goal, and finally, an end to the war is something we all should celebrate," he said in a statement.
"We pray that these hostages coming home can recover, and live peacefully again."
The prayer for peace was also echoed by Mayor Eric Adams, who is no longer running for re-election.
"Our hearts are filled with joy as an end to the war in Gaza appears to be on the horizon, and families have finally been united," he said in a statement. "We pray that this news will bring lasting peace, justice, and prosperity to Israelis and Palestinians alike."
Mamdani didn't join the chorus until long after his rivals.
He spent the weekend running a 5K in Brooklyn fundraising for the controversial UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), which was forced to fire several of its staffers after an internal investigation found they may have been involved in Hamas' attack on Israel.
Mamdani's seldom-seen wife, Rama Duwaji, also drew fire for publicly mourning a Palestinian influencer who had cheered the Oct. 7 attacks.
The relief over the hostages extended beyond New York City, the largest Jewish community in the world outside of Israel.
Gov. Kathy Hochul, in a solemn statement, noted the pointed impact that the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks had on New Yorkers.
"When I visited Israel in the immediate aftermath of the attack, I grieved alongside the families of Omer Neutra and Itay Chen," she said, referring to two New Yorkers held hostage and presumed dead.
"My heart is with them today, and with the many others who are still awaiting the closure they deserve. May the victims' memories be a blessing, and may we never forget their loved ones' pain."
Hochul, without referring to President Trump by name, said she was grateful for his administration's role in securing the hostages' release.
"With their return and a permanent ceasefire, I'm hopeful that vital aid will soon reach families suffering in Gaza and that today marks the beginning of a new chapter of lasting peace and freedom for Israelis and Palestinians alike," the Democrat said.
Republicans weren't so shy about hailing Trump.
Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-Staten Island) cast the hostage deal as a victory for the president.
"President Trump is a real dealmaker and leader with the strength, power and chutzpah to deliver lasting peace," she said.
Her fellow Rep. Mike Lawler (R-Hudson Valley) argued Trump showed "peace through strength works — although he said more needs to be done.
"As we celebrate today, we continue to demand the return of the remains of the 28 hostages murdered by Hamas, including Americans Omer Neutra and Itay Chen," he said. "Let me be clear: peace can only endure when terror is defeated, and every last hostage, living or deceased, is brought home."
Likewise, Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman called for Neutra's return.
"Only President Trump could have pulled this off," he said. "Very grateful for his leadership."
Not all Democrats avoided giving Trump credit.
Rep. Tom Suozzi, a moderate Democrat from Long Island, congratulated Trump for the deal.
"As we celebrate this moment, let us also pause to pray for all who have endured so much suffering, death, and destruction along the way," he posted on X. "Today, I pray especially for the Neutra family from Plainview, whose son was murdered on October 7th and who have faced unimaginable pain and countless ups and downs over the past two traumatic years."
- Additional reporting by Hannah Fierick, Brandon Cruz and Ryan King
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Zohran Mamdani is the man that democrats favor to be mayor of NYC.
With claims of an imaginary Genocide no longer viable, it’s on to the next Hamas approved talking point.
I imagine that would be something about "war crimes" based on the destruction.
Two things to remember in all of this
Nor do victims kill all the female hostages to ensure they can't testify as to what happened to them.
So many of the people who wanted a ceasefire in Gaza are so upset there's now a ceasefire in Gaza it almost makes you wonder if they had a different agenda this entire time
Nooooooooo
That can't be s/
Isreal just gave Hamas back 200 foot soldiers, I'm sure that won't be problematic, they should have just returned the bodies. or taken a page out of Obamas play book and double tap them with drone strikes once they all gathered together.
Big Apple mayoral front-runner Zohran Mamdani called for an end to "occupation and apartheid"...
I'm a little confused by the use of the words "occupation and apartheid". It seems to me that a number of years ago Israel had to defend itself from a war brought upon it by surrounding nations and in defending itself it conquered certain lands called Judea and Samaria from the attacking nations, that the Palestinians are the ones who occupy, calling it the West Bank. And I didn't know that the word "apartheid" applied to a nation that is majority Jewish but is more than 20% Muslim, that allows Arabs/Palestinians/Muslims to form political parties and have members in its Knesset, has a justice sitting on the Supreme Court, has mayors and administrative officials in its towns and villages, has both Jewish and Muslim students sitting together in its classrooms, where Muslims run successful businesses, has Jewish hospitals wherein Muslims are doctors and nurses and administrators (I am a personal witness to that), and allows them to serve in the nation's military. If that means "apartheid" then perhaps the world's dictionaries should amend their definitions.