Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Bloomberg Visits Israel and Continues to Pledge Support
By
Billy Parker
Published Jan 4, 2009
Modified Jan 4, 2009
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Billy Parker
Published Jan 4, 2009
Modified Jan 4, 2009
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Photo of Bloomberg visiting a hospital in the Israeli town of Sderot courtesy AP/Tsafrir Abayov
As Israeli forces gained control of the eastern section of northern Gaza and pushed deeper into the territory, Mayor Bloomberg visited Israel and continued to emphasize his support for the continued strikes. He told the AP, "You should rest assured, if anyone in New York was being threatened, my instruction to the NYPD would be to use all the resources at their disposal to protect civilians."
Bloomberg made the trip along with NYPD Police Commissioner Ray Kelly and Queens Congressman Gary Ackerman. Ackerman, the chairman of the House subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia, said the onus of the civilian deaths was on Hamas for using them as human shields.
The mayor once again brought the scope of the current military conflict close to home, invoking the attacks on New York as he said, "I think as a New Yorker, we've been attacked twice by al-Qaida itself. We've seen enormous devastation and courage and after that you sort of feel you have a bond, if you will, for those who live in a dangerous world and subject to someone trying to kill them."
At one point, the mayor and his group had to be hurried into a bomb shelter when a missile warning went off. Bloomberg said, "All Hamas has to do is stop sending rockets over to kill people and agree on the accords that were negotiated earlier and come to an agreement that is verifiable, durable and effective to stop people from being killed."
Meanwhile, Hammas responded to the ground attacks by releasing an ominous statement Sunday, saying they would "fight until the last breath" and warned Israel that "Gaza will be your cemetery."
Tagged
gary ackerman
gaza
israel
mayor bloomberg
mideast conflict
palestine
terrorism
Billy Parker
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Central Park birders, others remember 63-year-old woman killed in park
People who said they knew her described her as an artist and a familiar presence in the Ramble.
By
Charles Lane
Published Sep 28, 2026 at 7:04 p.m. ET
Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says
It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.
By
Liam Quigley
News
Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says
It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.
By
Liam Quigley
New ingredient mandated for Latin American kitchen, restaurant plates in NJ
By
Arya Sundaram
A Brooklyn jail cell filled with smoke. The emergency button failed, a lawyer said.
By
Samantha Max
Crews launch tunnel machines to dig first new Hudson River rail tunnels since 1910
By
Michael Sol Warren
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .