Cameron Kasky, a Democratic congressional candidate running on a platform that accuses Israel of genocide, was spotted on a return flight to New York from Tel Aviv.
Kasky, 25, who is Jewish, is seeking to replace Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) in New York’s 12th Congressional District in a crowded race of 14 Democrats that includes political commentator Jack Schlossberg and ex-Republican George Conway.
He has made opposition to Israel’s policies a visible part of his campaign platform, with “Stop funding genocide” as the top of his three campaign points, according to his website.
On Dec. 28, Jewish activist Eliana Goldin posted that Kasky was on her return flight from Israel.
“It makes zero sense to me why people don’t care more that Cameron Kasky was secretly in Israel for the past few days,” Goldin wrote, noting that he wore a mask through Ben-Gurion International Airport but removed it when he landed at John F. Kennedy International Airport.
“His entire campaign runs on the fact that he vilifies Israel. Now he goes and travels there without having his campaign announce it?” Goldin said, claiming that she approached Kasky in “good faith and he lied to my face about his identity.”
The congressional hopeful responded to Goldin on social media, stating that he lied about his identity “because I assumed you were a narc and I was 100% correct,” and acknowledged that he was “absolutely hiding” until he “safely landed at home.” (JNS sought comment from Kasky.)
Kasky confirmed he’d been in Israel on a Palestinian-led tour of Judea and Samaria.
In a separate post accompanied by photos of his trip, Kasky wrote, “To the Palestinian people, thank you for being such generous hosts. From Twani to Hebron to Beit Sahur, so much love.”
“I have seen this reality on the ground,” he wrote. “We must end the settlements that violate international law and stop encouraging New Yorkers to move there. It is cruel,” he said.
Goldin wrote that she hoped this would demonstrate “to residents of NY12 that they deserve someone honest and transparent, who announce at the outset when they travel to foreign countries, especially those that they purport to be committing genocide.”
