Governor Kathy Hochul is officially stepping into the mix after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu leveled some heavy accusations against Mayor Zohran Mamdani. During a recent interview on WNYC, Hochul made it clear she isn't vibing with the PM’s recent comments, calling him out for straight-up lying about the mayor.
The drama unfolds
Earlier this week, Netanyahu dropped a video message hitting out at Mamdani, claiming the mayor “supports the Hamas terrorist monsters” and has been “inciting riots against New York Jews.” It’s giving major tension, especially with Netanyahu’s big address to the UN General Assembly happening today.
Governor Hochul wasn't having it. She pushed back, saying, “The mayor has never said he supports Hamas. He called them a terrorist organization, exactly at odds with what Netanyahu just said.” She didn't hold back, adding that by spreading these claims, the PM has “hurt his own credibility.”
Local friction
While Hochul emphasized her own strong support for Israel—and made it clear the atrocities of October 7, 2023, should never be forgotten—she’s keeping things locked in with Mayor Mamdani. The two have been tight since he took office in January, with Hochul even sending billions in state support to help balance the city's budget, and Mamdani endorsing her re-election bid.
Real talk, though: the relationship between Mamdani and parts of NYC’s Jewish community has been strained for a minute. The mayor has been a vocal critic of Israel, supporting the boycott, divestment, and sanctions movement, and skipping the annual Salute to Israel parade. When he first started, he even scrapped executive orders from former Mayor Eric Adams that used the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism. Despite all that, Mamdani has maintained that he has zero tolerance for hate and is working to address the rise in hate crimes across the city.
Why it matters
This is a major political L for diplomatic relations between the city and the Israeli government. When top leaders are publicly calling out international figures for lying, it makes the vibes off for everyone involved, proving once again that local politics and global conflict are lowkey starting to collide in ways we can't ignore.
