Hochul apologizes after suggesting Israel has the right to destroy Gaza
Gov. Kathy Hochul apologized Friday evening for comments she made at a Jewish philanthropy event in New York City that implied Israel had the right to destroy Gaza over the Oct. 7 Hamas attack.
In a speech on Thursday at the event for the United Jewish Appeal-Federation of New York, Ms. Hochul began by calling out Hamas for being a terrorist organization that “must be stopped,” saying Israel could not continue to live with ” that threat, that specter over them.” She then tried to make an analogy with the United States, relating the war to her hometown of Buffalo.
“If Canada ever attacked Buffalo, I'm sorry my friends, there would be no Canada the next day,” Ms. Hochul said. in a video of the speech posted on social media. “That's a natural reaction. You have the right to defend yourself and ensure this never happens again. And that is Israel's right.”
In a statement to The New York Times on Friday evening, after the speech began circulating on social media, Ms. Hochul said she regretted her “inappropriate analogy.” She apologized for her “poor choice of words.”
“While I have been clear in my support for Israel's right to self-defense, I have also repeatedly said and continue to believe that Palestinian civilian casualties should be avoided and that more humanitarian aid should go to the people of Gaza,” she said.
In a message on X, Assemblyman Zohran Kwame Mamdani said: “Governor Hochul justifies genocide while laughing. Awful.”
The response to the governor's comments represented new territory for Ms. Hochul, who has rarely courted controversy during her time in office, in stark contrast to her predecessor, Andrew M. Cuomo.
Ms Hochul had been speaking to the UJA law department's annual event at the Pierre Hotel. The event aimed to support the foundation's “critical work in response to growing needs on the ground in Israel and ongoing needs in New York and around the world.” according to its website.
The foundation reported on Ms Hochul's comments later Thursday evening on Xthanking her “for always standing with the Jewish community and against anti-Semitism and hatred in New York.”
The governor's speech comes as the war in Gaza escalates. Israel this week stepped up its military operations along the Gaza-Egypt border, where the vast majority of Gazans have fled during the war. International leaders have warned the operation could turn into a catastrophe, with President Emmanuel Macron of France saying the situation could become an “unprecedented humanitarian disaster”.