Kathy Hochul has apologized for remarks made earlier this week in which she suggested that Israel has the right to destroy Gaza in response to the October 7 attacks by Hamas. “If Canada someday ever attacked Buffalo, I’m sorry my friends, there would be no Canada the next day, right, right?” Hochul said at the UJA Federation of New York lawyers division annual event, referring to her hometown. New York state Assembly member Zohran Mamdani said on social media that Hochul was “justifying genocide, while laughing. Disgusting.”New York City Council member Shahana Hanif said she would not accept Hochul’s apology. Hochul ascended to the New York governor’s office in 2021, becoming the state’s first female governor.

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Persons: Kathy Hochul, ” Hochul, Hochul, Hochul’s, @GovKathyHochul, Zohran Mamdani, ”, Shahana Hanif, “, ” Hanif, Andrew Cuomo, CNN’s Kaanita Iyer Organizations: CNN, New York Gov, Democratic, Canada, UJA Federation of New, Jewish Locations: Israel, Gaza, New York City, Hamas, Canada, Buffalo, UJA Federation of New York, ”, Buffalo NY, . New York, York, New York