Kathy Hochul is blaming antisemitism on Bibi Netanyahu. 

Admittedly, that's not as bad as tying the price of eggs and bananas to Israel's war with Hamas, but it's still quite the hot take, and one that seems pretty inconsistent with the Democrats' insistence that worrying about Muslim immigration is racist, just because other Muslims are barbarians who commit terrorist attacks. 

They constantly do the Norm Macdonald meme when it comes to Muslims, despite the fact that there are lots of ordinary "peaceful" Muslims in the United States who support Hamas, cheer on Iran, and openly disdain American culture and believe that we should all be forced to live under Sharia law. 

But Hochul points the finger at Bibi Netanyahu and the Israeli government, blaming the outbreak of antisemitism in her state and across the world on him. 

Now, first, let me be clear: I don't think Hochul is an antisemite. I have more than enough criticisms of her based on her policies, but I don't think that hatred of or indifference to the suffering of Jews is one of her character flaws. She's just expressing frustration at the fact that she and other Democrats are getting enormous pressure from their antisemitic base and having to answer for Mamdani's insane statements and his cozying up to the antisemitic Left. 

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But she's also pointing the finger at the wrong malefactors, even if you conceded, as no sane person should, that Israel is committing war crimes in Gaza. The people directing hatred and violence at Jews may SAY that their only beef is with Israel, but their constant antisemitic rhetoric and their glee at even tearing down the hostage flyers show that they really only care about hating Jews. What does a hostage taken in a terrorist attack have to do with Bibi Netanyahu?

Hochul is blaming Jews for the hatred of Jews, at least implicitly. Anybody who talks about Israel on X gets bombarded with antisemitic comments and memes, and they are unambiguously antisemitic, not aimed at Israel in particular. Even Hochul admits this. 

Gov. Kathy Hochul insisted Tuesday that her job governing New York would be “a lot easier” if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lost the high-stakes election in the Jewish state.

The Democratic governor, who is also facing a challenge this year, said in an interview with Politico Magazine that Netanyahu’s “overreach” in response to the horrific Oct. 7 Hamas terror attack has created issues here in New York.

“I went to Israel right after Oct. 7. I saw a lot of pain there. But I actually cautioned the government there, in private conversations, not to overreach,” Hochul said.

“The world is with you when it comes to the brutal assault by a terrorist organization known as Hamas on innocent Israeli people. An overreach could change that dynamic, and that’s what’s happened.”

New York is home to the largest Jewish population in the world outside of Israel.

“A lot of people are anxious about antisemitism, which is sky-high right now,” she continued, adding, “And I take that personally, because I represent everyone.”

If I walked up to a Muslim in the United States who had nothing to do with Iran and started shouting at them about Iranian government crimes, it would be absurd and be roundly condemned, and rightly so. The crimes of the Ayatollahs are not theirs, and unless they agitate in favor of them (as, unfortunately, many do), it's wrong to blame them. 

Not so, apparently, when it comes to your problems with Israel. What does a 5th-generation Jewish New Yorker have to do with Netanyahu's actions? 

Now I happen to believe that the Gaza war was justified and that Israel, for the most part, has conducted it honorably. No doubt there were horrible mistakes made, or even individual war crimes, but who doubts that the same could be said of Ukraine or any other belligerent? Are there calls for pogroms of Russians here because of what Putin does over there? 

Of course not. It's absurd. Antisemitism is sui generis, and has been for millennia. Hochul should not concede to the haters that they have a legitimate gripe with Jews. 

Unfortunately for her, the party has shifted out from under her. She may still be a supporter of Israel, but she must do the moral equivalence dance to placate her base (hint: it won't work with many of them in Deep Blue New York City). I wish she would decline, but few politicians dare buck the trend. 

One last point: Hochul's comments as Israelis go to the polls give the lie to Democrats' outrage about foreign election interference. Democrats have campaigned against Bibi Netanyahu since he first appeared on the political scene decades ago. Everybody with an interest plays in everybody else's sandbox. Zelensky appeared with Harris during the campaign. Labour sent campaign workers to help her. It's just the way things are, like it or not. 

Jews don't cause antisemitism, and antisemites don't need an excuse to indulge in one of the oldest forms of hate in history. Conceding the point to Mamdani and other antisemites just gives them cover.