Schumer and Jeffries Remain Silent on Mamdani's Controversial Comments

<p>New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has faced criticism for his comments regarding the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, while two prominent New York politicians have not publicly addressed the situation. </p><p>Mamdani's statement on Wednesday acknowledged Hamas' attack on Israel, which resulted in over 1,100 Israeli deaths and more than 250 individuals taken hostage. However, he focused primarily on condemning Israel's actions in Gaza over the past three years.</p><p>"The suffering did not begin nor end that day. It instead continued through the Israeli government’s devastating, ongoing genocide in Gaza, in which it has killed more than 74,000 Palestinians — including more than 21,000 children," Mamdani stated on X. "Even since the so-called ceasefire, more than 1,400 Palestinians have been killed."</p><p>Mamdani elaborated on the impact of Israeli military actions, stating, "That suffering has intensified with every Israeli bomb dropped on ambulances waiting outside hospitals, every drone strike targeting a residential building or journalist, and every shipment of food aid turned away at a border crossing. Many New Yorkers are reckoning with this unbearable grief, and we mourn alongside them — all while knowing that our tax dollars fund these war crimes."</p><p>Notably, Mamdani did not reference the Jewish community in New York City, which numbers nearly 1 million, according to a 2023 study from the UJA-Federation of New York.</p><p>While Rep. Dan Goldman, a fellow New York Democrat, criticized Mamdani's remarks, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries have not commented on the issue. </p><p>Goldman described Mamdani's statement as "reprehensible" on the anniversary of the attack, asserting that it includes disputed allegations that could offend those he claims to grieve with.</p><p>Neither Schumer nor Jeffries responded to requests for comment on Mamdani's remarks, although they issued their own statements regarding the October 7 attack. Schumer, who is Jewish, referred to the attack as the "single deadliest day in Jewish history since the Holocaust." His support for Israel has become a contentious issue among some Senate Democrats, who have begun to question funding for Israel amid ongoing conflict in Gaza.</p><p>Schumer stated, "Today, we reaffirm our commitment to the security of the Israeli people, to the aid and wellbeing of the Palestinian people and the recovery of the devastation in Gaza that the ensuing conflict brought, and to doubling down on efforts for a lasting peace resulting in two states where Israelis and Palestinians can live side by side in equal measures of peace, security, dignity, and mutual recognition."</p><p>Jeffries echoed some of Schumer’s sentiments while also acknowledging the historical struggles of the Jewish people. He remarked, "Throughout the past three years, considerable suffering has plagued the Middle East. The horrific death of Palestinian civilians, destruction of civil society and devastation in Gaza is reprehensible and can never be allowed to happen again."</p><p>Jeffries emphasized the need for a significant change in American policy in the region, stating, "In order to end the vicious cycle of bloodshed, for the good of the Israeli and Palestinian people, American policy in the region must change dramatically. We must commit to the creation of an independent Palestinian state to provide dignity, respect and self-determination for the Palestinian people."</p>