Former Mayor Bill de Blasio said New York City must be vigilant to thwart terrorism in the Big Apple following Hamas’ surprise invasion of Israel.
“Of course we stand with the people of Israel,” de Blasio said Sunday on WABC 770 AM’s “The Cats Roundtable” with host John Catsimatidis Sunday.
“We have to curse [terrorism] wholeheartedly when you see it. New Yorkers have felt the terror. We know exactly what terrorism is, in a way that many people never have,” said the former mayor, referring to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
He said Hamas’ slaughter of innocent Israelis shows that terrorism has not gone away.
“For New York City right now, we have to be ready … Let’s be honest. This threat will be in the world for a while, and we have to protect ourselves,” de Blasio said.
He said under his leadership, the NYPD has increased its anti-terrorism capabilities and said the department is ready to protect New Yorkers.
Mayor Eric Adams, de Blasio’s successor, also slammed Hamas’ terror campaign and defended Israel.
De Blasio, a longtime supporter of Israel who teaches at NYU and has taught at Harvard, also ripped fellow progressives on the left — especially in academia — for cheering Hamas’ mass murder of innocent Jews in Israel, or fail to condemn it.
Former Mayor Bill de Blasio warned that New York City must be vigilant to thwart terrorism in the wake of Hamas attacks on Israel.Stefan Jeremiah for New York Post The NYPD’s Transit Anti-Terrorism Unit patrols Manhattan on October 13, 2023.William Farrington
He said the inhumane response undermined Palestinian interests for statehood.
He called Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel “disgusting and inhumane.”
“There cannot be any moral relativism or slanted words here. What we saw was disgusting and unacceptable and should be condemned by everyone across the spectrum,” de Blasio said.
A car burns after a rocket fired from Gaza lands in Ashkelon, Israel on October 7, 2023. AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov An injured person is carried on a stretcher after a Hamas rocket attack in Ashkelon. Photo by AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP via Getty Images
“I teach at NYU. We have an unfortunate situation where student leaders are trying to justify Hamas violence. Fortunately, many of us in the NYU community spoke out against it quickly. I think that’s what people need to do.”
He said the Harvard campus has been slow in condemning Hamas terrorism.
Follow The Post’s live blog for the latest news on Hamas attacks on Israel
He said people who say they care about the Palestinians should “start by condemning Hamas and what they’ve done … I think some groups at Harvard don’t — because I still have connections there.”
He said he signed a letter distributed by several Harvard groups condemning Hamas violence.
Smoke billows from southern Israel after a surprise terrorist attack from Hamas on October 7, 2023. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem Palestinians celebrate over a destroyed Israeli tank on the border of the Gaza Strip near Khan Younis.AP Photo/Hassan Eslaiah
“We do not accept this. We do not accept any form of violence. And we don’t accept a campus environment that includes organizations that somehow don’t think it’s necessary to see all of us as human beings. That if Jewish lives were destroyed, and children were killed in front of their families, somehow that was not to be discussed. Of course, that should be condemned,” said the former two-term mayor.
He said he believed in a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine.
“I think you have to protect democracy and Israel. That is part of what makes Israel so strong. You can have those political differences and still say, ‘Let’s defend the state of Israel no matter what, because what does it mean in the world. It’s the only refuge that Jews have,’” de Blasio said.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
