Israel's Consul General in New York, Ofir Akunis, accused New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani of lying and inciting against Israel after Mamdani claimed Israel killed a journalist in Gaza. Akunis stated the al-Jazeera videographer was a Hamas terrorist operative, not a journalist, according to a report by journalist Tomer Almogor.
Israel's Consul General in New York, Ofir Akunis, on Tuesday evening sharply criticized New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani for accusing Israel of killing a journalist in Gaza. Mamdani had expressed sorrow over the death of Ahmed Wishah, an al-Jazeera videographer, and described him as a journalist. Israel maintains Wishah was a Hamas operative who used his media credentials as cover. Akunis accused Mamdani of spreading one-sided claims and ignoring Israel's evidence. 'The mayor of New York continues to lie and incite against Israel,' Akunis said. 'This is not a "journalist." This is a terrorist from the murderous Hamas terror organization.' The exchange, reported by journalist Tomer Almogor (N12), adds to a pattern of tensions between Akunis and Mamdani over Israel-related issues during the mayoral campaign. As The Zioneer reported on Tuesday, Mamdani has also faced criticism from a New York rabbi and the ADL for calling AIPAC and its supporters 'monsters' at a campaign rally.
2 developments
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- DevelopingIsrael's NYC consul general discusses Montreal shooting with Canadian counterpart
- DevelopingDelegation of Consuls General from New York Continues Visit to Israel Amid War
- DevelopingNYC mayoral candidate Mamdani campaigns with Hamas-apologist influencer
Source and signal
- Internal intake