NY Gov. Hochul, unapologetically pro-Israel, heads to the Middle East

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s trip to Israel amid its escalating war with Hamas is about showing support for the Israeli people at a time of crisis, the Democrat told reporters before departing for the Middle East on Tuesday.

For her first time as governor, Hochul is taking an official international trip, heading out for what she’s calling a three-day “solidarity mission” to Israel. The governor said she couldn’t divulge the details of her itinerary because of security concerns, but said she plans on meeting with diplomatic leaders and visiting communities that have been “devastated by the horrific Hamas attacks.”

While speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Hochul said her trip is meant to show that New York will “continue to be staunch allies of Israel and all countries that seek to exercise their rights freely without fear from terrorists.”

“I go in a mission of solidarity and … also a mission of support,” she said. “That is my message to New Yorkers and those I’ll be visiting.”

The trip marks Hochul's latest effort to further cement herself as one of the state’s staunchest supporters of Israel, even as the ongoing conflict is leading to division among her party’s left wing.

The war has so far left thousands dead, with the Israeli military carrying out sustained strikes on the Palestinian territory of Gaza after the militant group Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 7.

“New York will show the world that we stand with Israel – today, tomorrow and forever,” Hochul said in a statement announcing her trip.

Hochul's trip comes just days after Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer, a New York Democrat, visited Israel over the weekend on a bipartisan trip — during which he and his colleagues had to seek shelter amid rocket attacks. President Joe Biden is scheduled to fly to Israel this week, as are the CEOs of a number of U.S.-based Jewish organizations.

In the days since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, Hochul has used her public comments to position herself as firmly pro-Israel, resisting calls from some left-leaning activists and lawmakers to call for a ceasefire.

Support for Israel has long been a given for top elected leaders in New York, which is home to one of the world's largest Jewish populations outside of Israel.

As of 2020, New York state was home to an estimated 1.6 million Jewish people, according to Brandeis University’s American Jewish Population Project. That accounts for about 21% of all the Jewish people in the United States. About 1.3 million Jewish people live in New York City, Westchester County and on Long Island.

Amy Spitalnick, CEO of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, a national advocacy organization, said Hochul’s trip is about “standing with the Israeli people and the Jewish community at a time of such deep trauma and grief and pain.” Spitalnick is among the CEOs heading to Israel this week.

“The Jewish community has a diversity of views on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and on any other issue, but right now the community is united in pain and grief and in solidarity with the Israeli people at such a horrific moment,” she said. “And so seeing the leader of the state with the largest Jewish population make this trip sends an important message.”

Hochul said she is traveling to Israel with her staff members instead of a broader delegation of elected officials because the war has limited flights into and out of the Middle East. She said her team has been advised to keep a flexible itinerary that could change at a moment’s notice because of the ongoing fighting.

The governor also said she could not yet share whom she will be meeting with due to security concerns, but promised to provide New Yorkers with those details as her trip unfolds.

Meanwhile, Hochul’s staunchly pro-Israel views have further inflamed tensions with some on the Democratic Party's left wing, including members of the politically influential Democratic Socialists of America, which has long been critical of Israel’s blockade of Gaza.

Last Thursday, a reporter asked Hochul if she had a message for Palestinians in New York who may be worried for their loved ones, noting that the governor’s public comments have largely been focused on Israelis.

“I call on law-abiding Palestinians to reject Hamas," Hochul said in response. “Hamas is a terrorist organization. They should not define the … Palestinians who reject the violence, especially the horrific attacks that were perpetrated on the Jewish state.”

The governor continued by describing Hamas’ surprise attack, saying that words could not describe “what innocent people had to endure.”

“There must be consequences to that, or else there will be no end to the violence and the destruction,” she said. “Israel has a right to defend itself.”

Her comments drew immediate criticism from the left, including from state Assemblymember Sarahana Shrestha, a Hudson Valley Democrat and DSA member.

“The governor has no empathy for her Palestinian constituents,” Shrestha posted on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. “Instead, she effectively calls for more deaths and war crimes.”

Another state lawmaker, Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani of Queens, told City & State that Hochul’s comments amounted to a “vile dehumanization of Palestinians.”

On Tuesday, Hochul said this was “not an accurate characterization of my sentiments at all.” She said she would “defend and protect every single New Yorker.”

“I abhor violence against all individuals,” she added. “That has always been crystal clear. This was an unprecedented attack on Israeli soil by terrorists, and the bloodshed and loss of life that ensued is unforgivable. And I defend Israel’s right to defend itself. … But any loss of innocent civilian life is heart-wrenching.”

Some U.S.-based organizations are hoping to tone down the rhetoric surrounding the war.

More than 100 Jewish organizations on Tuesday signed on to a letter rejecting all forms of antisemitism, Islamophobia and anti-Arab hate in the wake of the killing of a 6-year-old Palestinian-American boy in Chicago last week.

Spitalnick, whose group organized the letter-writing effort, said it’s important for Hochul and other leaders to speak out against antisemitism and other forms of bigotry in this moment.

“It’s so crucial that our leaders not pit communities against one another, not paint communities with broad brushes at this moment when tensions are already so high and we're sitting on a powder keg that can explode,” she said.

Also on Tuesday, Hochul was among a bipartisan group of 17 governors who signed on to a letter supporting Israel and calling on Congress to boost funding for additional security measures.

“Given these concerns, and the rise of antisemitism across the country, Congress should ensure funding for states and local governments to support activities and programs to ensure resources to safeguard houses of worship and religious-affiliated groups are available to combat antisemitism at home,” the governors wrote.

Hochul is scheduled to leave for Israel late Tuesday afternoon and return on Friday.