Mamdani: My Disagreement with New Yorkers on Israel Policy Is Rooted in Shared Humanity

EXCERPT:

MAMDANI: "There is no room for violence in this city, in this country, in this world. And what I have found from many New Yorkers is an ability to navigate disagreement. You know, I remember the words of Mayor Koch who said, 'If you agree with me on 9 out of 12 issues, vote for me. 12 out of 12? See a psychiatrist.' And I had an older Jewish woman come up to me in a synagogue many months ago after a Democratic Club Forum and she whispered in my ear, 'I disagree with you on one issue. I’m pretty sure you know which one it is. And I agree with you on the others and I’m going to be ranking you on my ballot.' And I say this because I know there are many New Yorkers with whom I have a disagreement about the Israeli government’s policies, and also there are many who understand that that’s a disagreement still rooted in shared humanity, because the conclusions I’ve come to, they are the conclusions of Israeli historians like Amos Goldberg. They are echoing the words of an Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who said just recently what we are doing in Gaza is a war of devastation. It’s cruel, it's indiscriminate, it's limitless, it's criminal killing of civilians. These are the conclusions I’ve come to."