NY governor condemns US anti-Semitism

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo began a whirlwind visit to Israel on Sunday, pledging solidarity with Jews as the United States sees a surge in anti-Semitic incidents.

There have been more than 100 bomb threats against US Jewish organisations since the beginning of the year and three Jewish cemeteries have been vandalised, with some analysts blaming the politics of the Donald Trump era.

Cuomo, seen as a possible Democratic presidential candidate in 2020, is governor of a state with a large Jewish population.

"It is disgusting, it is reprehensible, it violates every tenet of the New York state tradition," Cuomo told reporters, standing next to Israeli President Reuven Rivlin during a tour of Jerusalem's Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial centre.

"To the people of Israel, I say that these acts of anti-Semitism will not be tolerated," he said. 

"We believe in the spirit of inclusion and we live by discrimination of none. New York’s principles were built on a rock," Cuomo added.  "They will not change and the political winds will not change them."

Trump has faced accusations of being slow to condemn such acts.

Rights activists say his rise to the White House and the populist rhetoric that has accompanied it has encouraged the extreme right.

Amid the criticism, Trump spoke out against anti-Semitic incidents and also condemned a seemingly racially motivated killing of an Indian man in his maiden speech to Congress last week.

But while the rise in anti-Semitism has raised concerns, many of Israel's right-wing politicians have also welcomed Trump's presidency because of his pledges of support for the country.

Addressing Cuomo, Rivlin said "your arrival to Israel at this time is an extremely important signal that the US people and government will not let anti-Semitism win."

The Israeli president, whose role is mostly ceremonial, also said "the same appreciation goes to President Trump, who condemned the recent attacks."

Cuomo's office said his brief visit would include meetings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan.

He also plans to visit the Church of the Holy Sepulchre -- built on the site where Christians believe Jesus was crucified and buried -- and the Western Wall, the holiest site where Jews can pray.

He will return to New York on Monday.

Source: AFP