Blaming Bibi Is No Excuse: A Rebuttal To Governor Kathy Hochul
Blaming Bibi Is No Excuse: A Rebuttal To Governor Kathy Hochul
Dear Editor,
Governor Kathy Hochul’s statement on the eve of October 27, before the Israel elections got underway, that her “job would be a lot easier” if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lost his bid for re-election is as reckless as it is revealing. Beyond having no mandate to meddle in the democratic elections of a foreign ally, her assertion that Israel’s leadership is somehow responsible for surging antisemitism and remains the primary impediment to a two-state solution demonstrates a stark detachment from reality. Whether one aligns fully with her political challengers like Bruce Blakeman or not, any voter who values honesty, morality, and Jewish safety has a duty to reject this rhetoric at the ballot box.
The premise that domestic antisemitism would simply diminish if Netanyahu were ousted is a dangerous fantasy. Antisemitism is the world’s oldest hatred; it does not rise and fall based on who occupies the Prime Minister’s office in Jerusalem. What escalated following the October 7th massacres was not a reasoned critique of Israeli governance, but raw, violent hostility toward the Jewish people and Israel’s fundamental right to defend its citizens. The surge in campus disruptions, aggressive street marches, and physical intimidation across New York has been fueled not by Jerusalem, but by the moral cowardice of local leaders—from Governor Hochul to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and progressive allies—who have failed to confront antisemitism decisively and unapologetically.
This misplaced blame is mirrored on the global stage. From violent protests, riots, and arson in Paris and Spain to unrest in American cities, mobs routinely use Israel’s self-defense as an excuse to unleash chaos and attack local Jewish institutions. It is not Israeli policies driving these actions; it is unadulterated antisemitism masquerading as political activism.
Under that same dishonest pretext, the international community levels the absurd accusation of “genocide” against Israel. By definition, genocide requires the deliberate intent to destroy a national, ethnic, or religious group. Had Israel possessed such intent, its military capabilities could have devastated Gaza within weeks. Instead, the Israel Defense Forces have undertaken unprecedented measures—often placing their own soldiers at greater risk—to warn non-combatants and minimize civilian casualties. The IDF does not fight out of a desire to harm Arab civilians; it exists out of sheer necessity to protect Israeli citizens from enemies openly pledged to their destruction. Israel is forced to wage war against terrorists who embed themselves beneath hospitals and schools, yet the world demands a standard of tactical perfection from Israel that has never been expected of any nation in human history.
At its core, Judaism directs its daily prayers toward universal peace. By contrast, entities like Hamas, Hezbollah, and their Iranian IRGC sponsors operate under a fanatical ideology committed to eradicating the Jewish state.
This brings us to Governor Hochul’s dogmatic insistence on a “two-state solution.” The fundamental purpose of sovereign statehood is to establish a civil society governed by the rule of law—one that protects individual liberties, ensures domestic security, and lives peacefully alongside its neighbors. When has Palestinian leadership ever demonstrated the willingness or ability to govern in such a manner? Decades of rejectionism—from Yasser Arafat to Mahmoud Abbas—reveal the truth: their educational institutions train generations to hate Jews, while international aid is systematically diverted from civic infrastructure into subterranean terror labyrinths and arsenals of rockets.
The security contrast is undeniable. Any law-abiding person can travel safely throughout Israel. Conversely, an Israeli who mistakenly wanders into an Arab-controlled town faces an immediate, life-threatening lynch mob, completely devoid of protective intervention by the Palestinian Authority.
Carving out a sovereign Palestinian state under current conditions would not usher in peace; it would merely place hostile actors directly on Israel’s border, within point-blank striking range of its major population centers. Handing the machinery of a sovereign military state to factions animated by religious extremism is not diplomacy—it is national suicide.
If Governor Hochul genuinely believes that establishing such an entity produces peace, she owes New Yorkers more than vacuous platitudes. I challenge the Governor to a public debate: let her explain with facts and strategic coherence how rewarding extremist regimes advances stability in the Middle East, and why she continues to scapegoat Israel rather than confronting the antisemitism festering in her own backyard.
Sincerely,
Ira Thomas
Dear Editor,
Below is a list of radical legislation passed in the last few years by Democrats in New York State:
Replacing the word “mother” with “gestating parent” and “father” with “non-gestating parent.”
Gender X option on driver’s license.
Defeating legislation protecting girls’ sports from allowing boys. They reject basic biology and think gender is assigned at birth.
Medical Aid in Dying.
A state commission to consider reparations for slavery.
Bail reform, raise the age, and criminal discovery reform laws, which have released recidivist criminals to repeatedly commit crimes.
Decriminalizing loitering for purposes of prostitution. A pending bill would seek to expunge the records of those previously convicted.
Legalizing marijuana for recreational purposes.
If Democrats retain or increase their power then there will be more insane, left-wing policies in the future. Electing a Democrat, even if they are an Orthodox Jew, increases the Democrat majority and helps advance their radical, left-wing agenda. Those who are elected as Democrats, mostly vote with the party. Even if you may not agree with Republicans on some issues, the only way to save New York is to vote Republican.
Sincerely,
Moshe Tassalman
