Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) presented a “distorted picture of the events of Oct. 7 and the realities of the ongoing conflict in Gaza” when he took part in a July 28 “Jews cry out: Let food into Gaza” rally outside the Israeli consulate in Manhattan, according to Ofir Akunis, Israeli consul general in New York.
In a letter which JNS obtained, Akunis wrote to the Jewish congressman on Wednesday that the rally included “statements regarding a so-called starvation in Gaza.”
“On Oct. 7, Israel faced a barbaric massacre at the hands of Hamas,” and the “only thing preventing a ceasefire and an end to hostilities is Hamas’s refusal to release the hostages and surrender its weapons,” the consul general wrote. “Israel’s two objectives have never wavered since that day: defeating Hamas” and bringing the hostages home.”
“Any claim otherwise is simply untrue,” the Israeli envoy wrote. (JNS sought comment from the consulate.)
Eight people, who blocked traffic, were taken into custody and issued criminal court summonses on July 28 at about 6 p.m., the New York City Police Department told JNS.
In his remarks at the protest, Nadler juxtaposed his criticism of the Hamas terror organization and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“As all of us know too well, Oct. 7 was the bloodiest day in Jewish history since the Holocaust. For many of us, time stopped on that day and will not resume until every hostage returns home from brutal Hamas captivity,” the congressman said. “I am outraged that Prime Minister Netanyahu has continued to play politics with his own citizens’ lives.”
“Whether by sabotaging hostage negotiations or dragging out Israel’s military campaign in Gaza to prevent a long-awaited ceasefire, Netanyahu has consistently placed his own political future above the well-being of the hostages and innocent civilians,” Nadler said.
Nadler stated that Netanyahu’s “actual objective” is not really to eradicate Hamas. (JNS sought comment from Nadler.)
“Let’s be clear: The main obstacle to ending the war and bringing the hostages home is the pathologically narcissistic, monomaniacal politics of one man: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu,” he said.
The Israeli and U.S. governments have often said that Hamas, which has repeatedly rejected ceasefire deals to which the Jewish state has agreed, is the main obstacle to ending the war. Hamas continues to hold the hostages it took on Oct. 7.
“Prime Minister Netanyahu has been clear on many occasions that he believes he represents the entire Jewish world. So, as a Jew, I say clearly that I believe that Benjamin Netanyahu is the worst leader in Jewish history since the Maccabean king who opened the gates of Jerusalem to the Romans almost 2,100 years ago,” Nadler said.
The congressman also blamed U.S. President Donald Trump, whom he called an “authoritarian-aspiring leader.” (He also cited a passage from the Mishnah, which suggests that physical sustenance is necessary for Torah study and which he said reflected “Jewish tradition,” that “is clear about the importance of feeding the hungry among us.”)
In the letter, Akunis wrote to Nadler that “those who prevent humanitarian aid from reaching Gaza are Hamas terrorists, who steal, block and weaponize food against their own people.”
“Every time the United Nations or its agencies choose to legitimize or cooperate with Hamas, they deepen the crisis, prolong the suffering and make themselves complicit in the pain of Gaza’s civilians,” he wrote. Hamas violently prevents its own population from accessing aid to “continue funding its war and oppression machine,” he added.
Israel has “opened humanitarian corridors, implemented local pauses for aid delivery, air-dropped food and ensured clean water for nearly 1 million people,” which demonstrates the Jewish state’s “ongoing commitment to its obligations under international humanitarian law,” per the letter.
Hamas is a terror organization that “continues, without pause, to seek the mass murder of Israelis and openly calls for the destruction of the State of Israel,” Akunis wrote. “The blood of innocent Palestinians is on the hands of Hamas and all who enable its rule.”
“Every form of legitimacy or support for this terrorist regime only prolongs the pain of the Gazan people and the tragedy of all hostages,” he added. “What is for Israelis and for the Palestinians a tragedy is, for Hamas, a deliberate and calculated strategy.”
The Israeli envoy wrote that the Jewish state wants peace, the hostages to return home safely and “true relief for every innocent civilian in Gaza.”
“These goals will only become possible when Hamas is defeated, the hostages are released, and the international community stops empowering those responsible for so much suffering: Hamas,” he wrote. “This is the time to put the truth on the table and stand with the State of Israel.”
The July 28 protest was organized by New York Jewish Agenda and T’ruah: the Rabbinic Call for Human Rights.
Last month, Nadler endorsed Zohran Mamdani, an anti-Israel New York state assemblyman who is the Democratic nominee to be the next mayor of New York City.
