Gov. Kathy Hochul said she was heading to Israel on Tuesday to show “solidarity” with one of her biggest constituencies, a day before President Joe Biden plans to travel to the Jewish states and Jordan to meet with Israeli and Arab leadership.
Hochul said he expected to meet with rabbis and Jewish leaders from New York and families with local ties affected by the October 7 Hamas terror attack that left more than 1,400 dead.
“The blood and loss of life that has taken place is unforgivable,” he said, referring to the deliberately coordinated targeting of Israeli civilians.
The governor said his team could not provide a specific itinerary due to security concerns.
“We were told to be very flexible given the situation on the ground when we arrived,” Hochul said, discussing his trip in a conference call with reporters after his meeting with the White House on the migrant crisis.
Democrats brushed off criticism from Palestinian supporters who accused him of siding with Israel and ignoring the thousands killed across the disputed border in retaliation.
“This is an unprecedented attack on the land of Israel by terrorists. It remains my position that Israel must defend itself against terrorism or terrorism will know no borders,” Hochul said, adding that he “abhorred” all the loss of innocent lives and supported getting humanitarian aid to Gaza.
Gov. Kathy Hochul discussed her trip to Israel with reporters on a conference call, but could not provide an itinerary due to security concerns. Mike Groll/Office of the Governor Kathy Hochul
Hochul said he expected philanthropic groups to sponsor war refugees “so no one is left homeless as a result of this barbaric attack on innocent individuals.”
“I went on a mission of unity… and also a mission of support,” Hochul said, claiming his trip would protect the safety of all Jewish and Palestinian New Yorkers.
“Let them know all our collective hearts are broken, [about] suffering and loss of life due to terrorist attacks on the State of Israel,” he continued.
Hochul said New York’s shelter system is “at capacity” due to the migrant crisis and said the state cannot absorb war refugees. AFP via Getty Images
“As governor I want to go.. show love from New York, show compassion, show humanity and know that we will continue to be a staunch ally of Israel and all countries that seek to exercise their rights freely without fear of terrorists.”
New York’s 1.8 million Jews make up nine percent of the state’s total population, according to the World Population Survey.
New York City itself is home to 1.6 million Jews, more than the combined population of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, according to the UJA-Federation of New York.
About 8,000 New Yorkers identified as Palestinian in the 2020 census.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
