The governor of New York State apologized for an analogy in defense of Israel comparing Hamas to Canada.
Speaking to New Yorkers opposing Israel’s Gaza offensive last Thursday, New York State Governor Kathy Hochul likened the October 7 attack by Hamas to a hypothetical attack by Canada on the United States.
“If one day Canada attacked Buffalo, I’m sorry my friends, there would be no Canada the next day,” she said in a speech during a UJA-Federation event in New York on Thursday. which was shared on X.
In her speech, she called for stopping Hamas at all costs, citing Israel’s right to defend itself and ensuring that such an attack “never happens again.”
She apologized in a statement sent to CNN on Saturday, in which she acknowledged that she had chosen her words poorly and that her analogy was “inappropriate”, realizing after the fact that her comments could have been “hurtful” to members of her community.
New York State Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani lamented on social media that the governor was “justifying genocide, laughing,” calling her comments “disgusting.”
The Jewish Voice for Peace Buffalo chapter expressed its displeasure on X. “We, your Jewish constituents in Buffalo, NY, are beyond outraged, @GovKathyHochul.”
Despite her apology, several Jewish organizations and politicians maintain their stance on the governor’s comments, CNN reported Saturday.
