(PatriotWise.com) — New York Governor Kathy Hochul was forced to apologize after she faced blowback last weekend over a joke she made during a February 15 keynote address in which she compared Canada to Hamas, CNN reported.
While addressing the pro-Israel philanthropic group UJA Federation of New York last Thursday, the governor argued that Israel had the right to destroy Hamas, saying it was “a terrorist organization that must be stopped.”
Hochul added that no country should have to live with the kind of threat Hamas poses to Israel. To hammer home the point, the Democrat governor noted that she is from Buffalo and suggested that if Canada ever attacked Buffalo, “there would be no Canada the next day.”
While the comparison was made in jest, Hochul explained that it was a “natural reaction” for a country to defend itself against attack to ensure “that it never happens again.” She added that it was “Israel’s right” to defend itself against Hamas.
A video of Hochul’s comments was posted on Friday evening and quickly went viral, with more than 8.7 million views.
The clip prompted outrage from some users, including pro-Hamas journalist Mehdi Hasan, who described Hochul’s remarks as “genocidal language.”
The Buffalo chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace blasted Hochul’s “disgusting” words, claiming that Buffalo Jews were “appalled.”
Faced with a barrage of criticism, the Democrat governor issued a statement on Saturday apologizing for what she described as a “poor choice of words.” She said she now realizes that her analogy was “inappropriate” and “could be hurtful to members of our community.”
In her statement, Hochul reiterated her belief that Israel had a right to defend itself but added that she also believed that it should avoid civilian casualties. She also called for additional humanitarian aid to Gaza.
New York City Councilwoman Shahana Hanif was not moved by Hochul’s apology. In a post on X responding to Hochul’s statement, the Muslim lawmaker said she would not forgive Hochul unless she saw “changed behavior.”
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