African American Mayors Association extends support for Israel

The African American Mayors Association (AAMA) released a statement expressing its solidarity with, support and condolences for Israel.

“We stand with Israel during these tragic times and want to be clear that these hateful, terrorist actions have no legitimacy and must be condemned,” AAMA President and Mount Vernon, New York Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard said in the statement Tuesday. “We cannot sit back and watch innocent civilians be victimized by senseless and heinous acts of violence.” 

“The Black and Jewish communities must stand together in resistance to this cruel and hateful behavior,” the association added. “We have a long history of fighting bigotry, racism, and extremism, and we will continue to stand with Israel to support them against these acts of terrorism.”

AAMA, founded in 2014, is an organization dedicated to representing over 500 African-American mayors in the United States. 

The organization’s remarks comes as Israeli officials said Tuesday that the country’s death toll surpassed 1,000 from the attacks by Hamas that began Saturday. 

Authorities in Gaza and the West Bank said that 850 people have been killed in fighting there, with military officials noting hundreds of Hamas fighters are among the dead in the West Bank and Gaza. 

Israeli officials also said that Hamas and other militant groups are holding more than 150 soldiers and civilians hostage. 

Israel has launched counterattacks on Gaza and rained down hundreds of strikes on the area, as Hamas, Gaza’s governing authority, continues to fire rocket missiles into Israel. 

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said forces from his country will exact a “huge price” against Hamas for the attack, as the U.S. and Western allies have pledged their support for Israel. 

“We make clear that the terrorist actions of Hamas have no justification, no legitimacy, and must be universally condemned. There is never any justification for terrorism,” President Biden said in a joint statement alongside four Western European leaders late Monday. “Our countries will support Israel in its efforts to defend itself and its people against such atrocities.”