Israel's Ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter, strongly condemned New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Wednesday after the mayor used a statement marking the third anniversary of the October 7 Hamas massacre to accuse Israel of committing genocide in Gaza.
Mamdani's message acknowledged the Israelis murdered and abducted during the October 7, 2023, attack, but devoted much of its attention to allegations against Israel over its subsequent military campaign in Gaza.
“This day is profoundly painful for so many New Yorkers. It marks three years since the horrific war crimes of October 7," Mamdani wrote on social media.
“On that day, Hamas killed more than 1,100 Israelis and abducted 251 others. We grieve alongside our many friends and neighbors who still carry that unthinkable loss."
The mayor then shifted his focus to Gaza, asserting that the suffering “did not begin nor end that day" and accusing Israel of an “ongoing genocide."
Mamdani alleged that Israeli military operations had killed more than 74,000 Palestinian Arabs, including over 21,000 children. He further claimed that more than 1,400 Palestinian Arabs had been killed since the beginning of what he described as the “so-called ceasefire."
Leiter responded later Wednesday with a lengthy post on social media, accusing Mamdani of exploiting the anniversary of the Hamas massacre to spread false accusations against Israel.
"It’s actually hard to find a sentence in Mamdani’s post that isn’t a lie," the ambassador wrote.
"Paying lip service to the victims of October 7 just to spread blood libels about Israel might play nicely to the red-green/communist-Islamist alliance that he promotes in the U.S, but those of us who know better see his perverted language for what it is. This man is a defender of Palestinian terrorism, a promoter of antisemitism, and an advocate of anti-Americanism," continued Leiter.
"Even today, October 7, he can’t help but attack the Jewish state with absurd accusations and outright propaganda."
The ambassador rejected Mamdani's characterization of Israel's actions in Gaza, arguing that Hamas was responsible for the atrocities that initiated the war.
"Let’s be clear: the only attempted genocide in this conflict was perpetrated by the barbarians he supports, Hamas, who butchered, raped, and murdered in the most horrific ways imaginable," stressed Leiter.
Leiter also disputed allegations concerning Israel's treatment of Gaza's civilian population, accusing Hamas of deliberately operating among civilians and diverting humanitarian assistance.
"There is no genocide, ethnic cleansing, or famine in Gaza. Hamas embeds itself among, behind, and beneath the people of Gaza, knowing that the IDF will not, ever, intentionally target civilians. It robs its own people of the humanitarian aid that Israel has facilitated into Gaza since the war began."
The ambassador went on to accuse Mamdani of amplifying Hamas's claims and contributing to hostility toward Jews internationally.
"Hamas knows that its allies, including Zohran Mamdani, will regurgitate its lies, demonizing Israel and endangering Jews everywhere," continued Leiter.
Concluding his response, Leiter pledged that Israel would continue confronting terrorism while pursuing a peaceful future for the region.
"Israel and its allies will not be deterred from defending civilization against terrorist savagery. Those of us who envision a peaceful and prosperous Middle East, will root out the evil that is Islamic terrorism and build a better future for all, Jew and Arab alike."