Ex-Envoy Slams NYC Mayor for 'Dangerous Lies' on Oct. 7 Anniversary

Yechiel Leiter, a former Israeli Ambassador to the UN, has sharply criticized New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani for remarks made on the third anniversary of the October 7th massacre. Leiter penned his response while at the bedside of his son, who is on life support after being injured by a Palestinian terrorist. "I have to take a moment from my son’s bedside, on life support after being struck by a Palestinian terrorist, to respond to the dangerous lies being spewed by @NYCMayor," Leiter wrote, adding that "it’s actually hard to find a sentence in Mamdani’s post that isn’t a lie." Leiter accused Mamdani of paying "lip service to the victims of October 7 just to spread blood libels about Israel," suggesting this plays well with the "red-green/communist-Islamist alliance" Mamdani promotes in the U.S. He characterized Mamdani as a "defender of Palestinian terrorism, a promoter of antisemitism, and an advocate of anti-Americanism."

Mamdani's statement on the anniversary acknowledged it as a "very painful day for many New Yorkers," recalling Hamas's murder of over 1,100 Israelis and the abduction of 251 people. However, he also claimed the suffering "did not begin or end on that day," accusing the Israeli government of "ongoing genocide in Gaza" and war crimes, and calling for an end to the "occupation and apartheid" and U.S. federal support through arms shipments. Mamdani stated that the way to honor the dead is to fight for a reality where "every person can live in freedom, security, and dignity."

Leiter refuted Mamdani's claims regarding Israel's conduct in Gaza, asserting, "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." He further stated, "There is no genocide, ethnic cleansing, or famine in Gaza," accusing Hamas of embedding itself within the civilian population and stealing humanitarian aid. Leiter concluded that Israel and its allies "will not be deterred from defending civilization against terrorist savagery" and will "root out the evil that is Islamic terrorism" for a better future for all. He also promoted his book, "Manufacturing a Modern Blood Libel," as a source for the truth about Mamdani's alleged lies.