Hochul Says Her Job Would Be 'a Lot Easier' if Netanyahu Loses Power

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, said on Tuesday that her job would be "a lot easier" if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lost his bid to stay in power. She made the remark in an interview with Politico Magazine, which asked how much easier her work would get if he were defeated.

Hochul tied her answer to the makeup of her state. "I represent the largest Jewish population in the world outside of Israel," she said, adding that many of them are suffering and anxious about antisemitism, which she described as "sky-high right now." She said she takes that personally because she represents everyone in New York.

The governor said she visited Israel soon after the Oct. 7, 2023, attack and saw a great deal of pain there. She said she privately cautioned the Israeli government not to overreach. "The world is with you when it comes to the brutal assault by a terrorist organization known as Hamas on innocent Israeli people," she said, but argued that overreach could change that dynamic, and that this is what has happened.

Hochul also said she does not believe it is currently in Netanyahu's interest to have a safe Palestinian state. She said Israel's security is paramount, to her and to the world, but that a safe Palestinian state, long discussed during her lifetime, is also needed. "I still believe that this can happen," she said, but argued that it will not while Netanyahu is in office.

Israelis voted on Tuesday in their first general election since the Oct. 7 massacre, one week before the U.S. midterms. Hochul is on the ballot in those midterms as she seeks to keep her post. A Siena Research Institute poll released Wednesday showed her leading Republican challenger Bruce Blakeman, 54% to 40%.

When Fox News Digital asked for comment, Hochul's office pointed to her remarks to Spectrum News NY1 at a press Q&A in New York City on Wednesday. "Well, that's certainly [voters'] prerogative to decide who they want to lead Israel," she told NY1. "It's not mine. But I was simply asked a question, if you see how it's framed. Would your life be a lot easier if Netanyahu was not the leader of Israel? I'm like, yes."

Hochul is not the only prominent New York Democrat to criticize Netanyahu. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has been more outspoken, calling the Israeli leader "the architect of horrific genocide against Palestinians" in September.

Israel's U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon defended the vote in comments to Fox News Digital. He said millions of Israelis exercised their democratic right, with turnout of 77.7%, one of the highest levels recorded in Israel this century. "I encourage all elected officials in the United States to respect Israel's democratic process, just as Israel respects the democratic process in the United States," Danon said.

With about 70% of votes counted as of Wednesday morning, partial results reported by Israeli media showed Netanyahu's right-wing and religious bloc leading with 54 of the Knesset's 120 seats. The main opposition had 47 seats and Arab parties had 19.