New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is facing criticism after declining to condemn Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s statement marking the third anniversary of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, according to an opinion piece published by the New York Post.
Mamdani issued a statement acknowledging the “unthinkable loss” of three years ago, but the column argues he then shifted into criticism of Israel’s conduct in the war that followed. Jewish groups reportedly criticized his remarks, and protesters confronted him at a vigil honoring Jewish victims, chanting “Zohran, you can’t hide, we charge you with genocide.” He was also protested while dining at a Palestinian restaurant whose menu includes a section titled “From the River to the Sea,” a phrase widely understood as a call for the elimination of the Jewish state.
When the Post asked Hochul’s spokesman whether the governor had any objection to Mamdani’s Oct. 7 comments, the spokesman pointed to remarks Hochul made on CBS when she was asked whether she agreed that Israel’s military response was a bigger wrong than the Oct. 7 attack itself.
“That day speaks for itself,” Hochul said.
She went on to say she had called for more humanitarian aid to reach Gaza “to avoid any loss of civilian life,” and that this aid “was not provided,” adding: “I understand the anxiety and the frustration around that experience.”
The Post opinion piece disputes the premise behind those comments, arguing that claims of famine in Gaza have been widely challenged and that Israel in fact allowed substantial amounts of aid into the territory, much of which the piece says was diverted by Hamas.
The column frames Hochul’s response as political avoidance, contrasting it with her Republican challenger in the November governor’s race, Bruce Blakeman, who the piece says has been more willing to criticize Mamdani over rising antisemitism and to position himself as a check on the mayor.
The piece also notes a tension in how Mamdani’s statement was received: while Jewish organizations criticized it as insufficient or offensive, pro-Palestinian protesters attacked him for even acknowledging Jewish losses on the anniversary, suggesting that any expression of sympathy toward Israeli victims draws backlash from that side as well.
