NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani continues to condemn Israeli government after facing criticism for Oct. 7 statement
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani continued to condemn the Israeli government one day after his statement about the Oct. 7 attacks drew widespread criticism from politicians on both sides of the aisle, as well as the Jewish community.
"I am the mayor of New York City, and this is what I signed up for," Mamdani said Thursday in response to the criticism.
He claimed that Israel has used the three years since the Oct. 7 attacks to continue policies in Gaza he opposes.
"Three years of an anniversary that has brought unthinkable devastation to so many that also the Israeli government used and continues to use that day, those war crimes, as a justification for an ongoing genocide against Palestinians," Mamdani said.
The mayor insisted his responsibility "is not only to deliver for New Yorkers but also to be honest with New Yorkers."
He said that honesty meant "there must be room to mourn the lives of the more than 1,100 Israelis that Hamas killed three years ago. There must be room to mourn the 74,000 Palestinians."
"I think it's ... a disgrace and shame that the mayor of New York is shifting the focus from the brutal massacre that Hamas committed three years ago against Jews," said Eyal David, the deputy consul general of Israel in New York. "He doesn't understand how this day is a grief day and is a very hard day, one of the hardest days for the Jews."
The mayor was also noncommittal about a proposal backed by City Council Speaker Julie Menin, Comptroller Mark Levine and others to build a memorial in Brooklyn to those who were killed on Oct. 7.
"Our administration is reviewing it, and I'll let you know once we actually get through that," Mamdani said.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries says he wants it to happen.
"I can say that I strongly support the development and construction of a monument to the victims of October 7th here in Brooklyn, as has been proposed in the southern part of the district that I'm privileged to represent," he said.
CBS News New York political reporter Marcia Kramer asked Mamdani if he would support building monuments to both those who died on Oct. 7 and the Palestinians who died in Gaza. He said the Oct. 7 proposal would need Parks Department approval, and did not answer the question about a memorial for Palestinians.
