Transcript: Mayor de Blasio Discusses Trip to Israel With NY1’s Josh Robin

October 20, 2015

Josh Robin: Mayor, thank you for joining us.

Mayor Bill de Blasio: My pleasure.

Josh Robin: You said back in 2014 – one of your first speeches when you were elected mayor – “It is my belief it is our obligation to defend Israel.” Is this trip meant to underscore that point?

Mayor: Well, absolutely. It’s a – this trip is about, first of all, solidarity with the Israeli people in this very difficult moment. And again, I feel, as mayor of New York City, that is literally part of the job description. We are the city with the largest Jewish population than any city on the earth. I was joking with Mayor Barkat of Jerusalem last night. He agrees. He understands that within the city limits of Jerusalem, there are actually fewer Jewish people than within the city limits of New York City. And I obviously understand this is the Jewish homeland, but the point being our city has a tremendously close tie to Israel. And as mayor of New York City, I believe it is my responsibility to be one of the voices of support and solidarity for Israel. And it’s very important to be in Israel at a time of difficulty because sadly, a lot of the rest of the world turns its back on Israel in those moments. There’s a tremendous amount of misinformation out there about Israel. And so, any time an American leader can be present in support and solidarity – I know people here appreciate it and it’s important to do. The original purpose of the trip was to talk about something, in a sense, even more eternal, which is the persistence of anti-Semitism all over the world, and particularly in western nations. We’ve seen a rise in anti-Semitism in Western Europe. I’ll be speaking to mayors from around the world about this later on at Yad Vashem. And that was inspired by my visit to Paris in the beginning of the year after the attacks. And look, I’m proud of the fact that in New York City – even though we’ve had our challenges and imperfections – over the years, we’ve learned how to protect each and every community within our city and with a particular sense of protecting the Jewish community knowing that anti-Semitism persists around the world and that physical attacks on the Jewish community and tragically common, even in nations very much like our own. So, the purpose of coming here was to talk bluntly about that issue and to call upon allied nations to do a better job of protecting their Jewish communities.

Josh Robin: Right, you mentioned Yad Vashem – that’s the Israeli holocaust memorial. Before you left, a Palestinian activist – a New Yorker – said he hoped that you would be fair to Palestinians. Do you think that you are?

Mayor: Absolutely. Look, I want peace in this region deeply. I believe in the two-state solution. I believe it’s the only way forward. And I think in the city I represent, we’re a great example – I made a joke the other day – if you want to see a peaceful coexistence between Jews and Muslims, go to Coney Island Avenue. We in New York City are used to the notion of communities that don’t always agree but still find a way to live in a peaceful coexistence – that that’s normal, that that can be achieved. So, look, an incredibly complicated situation here but I think for every one of us that believes in the possibilities of peace, it’s always important to say to both communities that that possibility exists, that we want to support it, we want to be open and helpful in any way. And I was very moved yesterday – first by meeting the young people and the parents at Hand in Hand, who in the midst of so much trouble and conflict, are trying to find a positive model for coexistence and trying to start with young people, which I think is incredibly necessary and noble. And then, in the evening – you know, going to what I thought would be a very painful place – the Hadassah Hospital to see the victims of the recent terror attacks. I thought it would be a moment of solidarity, but a painful moment. And the fact is that instead of finding just pain and tragedy, I found people were life-affirming, you know, families who have been through a terror attack but still talked about wanting to help others and wanting to move forward. It was just an astounding experience and it reminded me of all that is good about this place.

Josh Robin: You mentioned yesterday that you don’t want to get into the thicket of negotiations between both sides. Of course as [inaudible] being even the greatest of negotiators. Do you have any broad strokes advice that you would give to any side in this?

Mayor: I think the way to peace in any situation is to emphasize its possibility. And we’ve learned – look, in our city – I don’t pretend that we’re perfect. We’ve had challenges. We’ve had divisions and conflicts. But I do give New Yorkers a lot of credit. People are focused on diffusing those conflicts and moving forward. I think that that very hope being expressed counts for a lot. People spending time with each other counts for a lot– trying to work their way through their differences. This is such a complicated region with such an intense history. I don’t minimize it for a moment. But I do believe New York City is a beacon of – an example of coexistence. I do believe we have something good to teach the world. And I think the people in Israel and the Palestinians who are trying to find a way to create some dialogue – that’s the first step.

Josh Robin: I wanted to talk about these recent attacks – these lone wolf attacks. Is that something that the NYPD is aware of and is studying the specific situation going on here?

Mayor: NYPD is very cognizant of the lone wolf phenomena around the world. And obviously, not just here – even earlier, we saw it in countries very much like our own. Earlier, we saw it in countries very much like our own, such as Australia and Canada. We’ve obviously had our own versions even in the United States. So, we understand that the lone wolf phenomenon has certain patterns to it, and there are certain indications and warnings that we can act on. On the other hand, it’s called lone wolf for a reason. Unlike some of the plots that are intricate and more detectable, some of these attacks are quite unexpected. But I think the NYPD has done a great job of studying the reality around the world, learning from it, changing our strategies and approaches. We have a NYPD Intelligence Division officer here in Israel, so there’s a constant flow of information, a constant comparison of strategies and approaches. And I have to say, you know, one of the things I say since I have been blessed to have security clearance and get a lot more detail  in the briefings, New Yorkers should rest assured that the NYPD has a tremendous capacity – an unbelievable capacity – to understand what’s happening and to act on it. One of the reasons our city has remained safe, of course, is the cooperation with our federal partners – the FBI and other federal agencies – but it’s also the NYPD has really perfected the capacity to know what’s going on, to stay on top of the action, to have the latest approaches. And, as you know about Commissioner Bratton, he never stops innovating. We’re very proud of the investment we’ve made in a dedicated group of officers for our critical response vehicles – so now we’re going to have an even more highly trained group of anti-terror officers. We’re very proud of the investments we’ve made in technology. And that, plus the incessant development of better strategies, is what keeps us safe.

Josh Robin: Let me switch gears slightly. Your predecessor Michael Bloomberg – a big supporter, obviously, of Israel, and has been here several times.

Mayor: Yes.

Josh Robin: Going back to the city, you campaigned against him – not his – the entirety of his record, but a great deal of his record, I would say is fair. There seems to be somewhat of a shift in your talking about him in a real warm sense, and you’re actually going to be holding an event with him in coming days.

Mayor: Yes.

Josh Robin: Has your opinion of Mayor Bloomberg changed, would you say?

Mayor: No, I think there’s a lot of areas where I always agreed with Mayor Bloomberg, and a lot of areas where I disagreed. I think there’s been that consistency throughout. We agree on Israel. We agree on the environment. We agree on public health. There’s a variety of areas where I said very openly, very comfortably, I would look forward to continuing his tradition, and I have. There’s other areas, such on income – such as income disparity, where I thought he was off base. But the planting of the millionth tree – look, he deserves a lot of credit for having established that goal and seeing as far as he did. We’re now seeing it through, and he deserves that opportunity and that credit to be a part of that. And, again, in environmental matters, I think he’s been a really strong leader. I think what he did on climate change was necessary and important. It helped galvanize the efforts of mayors around the world. So I’m very comfortable saying, when I agree with someone, of course I want to work with them. And on – on this issue, the environment, I absolutely agree with him. And when it comes to Israel, I think we share a lot of the same values.

Josh Robin: Do you think that your visit to the school field trip yesterday was a shift in typically how American, and particularly New York, elected officials approach the situation here – your outreach to Arabs and to Palestinians?

Mayor: I think, when you look at officials from the United States as a whole over years, there’s been many, many examples of them trying to talk, you know, positively to both sides, and trying to foster dialogue and support the notion of peace. I think it’s important to keep a little bit of historical perspective on that. Obviously, several presidents of the United States have played a very, very active role in trying to foster peace. It makes sense for senators, congress people, mayors to do the same in our own humble way. So, I think it’s just natural. We come from a city with a huge Jewish population and huge Muslim population that coexist. I hope our city can be a positive example. And I think it would be inconsistent for me not to talk to both sides.

Josh Robin: Let’s shift gears just a little bit. Your speech today is on anti-Semitism. What do you think is behind the surge of anti-Semitism that we see?

Mayor: I think the first – the first problem is that anti-Semitism was never eradicated. We saw after World War II, after the Holocaust, plenty of overt examples of anti-Semitism continuing. And maybe they were better contained in past decades, but I think it’s very important to recognize that, in a lot of the nations affected by the Holocaust in Western Europe and Eastern Europe, unfortunately, that impulse was not eradicated. There wasn’t the kind of leadership to insist that people recognize the lessons of history, to condemn any act of anti-Semitism – and it regrew over time. You see in these far Right parties all over Europe now a xenophobia and, in a number of cases, also an anti – an overt anti-Semitism. And, on top of that, obviously we’ve seen some extremism on the Muslim side as well. So, that combination has led us to today. And I think the point in my mind is that governments have to do something different, knowing that a scourge was never eradicated, knowing that unfortunately there are centuries and centuries of examples of governments either looking the other way or aiding and abetting anti-Semitism – it’s time for a very different approach. Again, we in New York offer, I think, a humble but positive example of vigorously respecting our communities and supporting our communities. It’s not passive in New York City – if a community is under attack, we go to its defense. And one of the things I’ll talk about today is, when there’s an attack on a Jewish community anywhere in the world, we go on a special alert, and we make sure that our NYPD capacity is focused on key Jewish community locations. Even if it happens halfway around the world, we immediately prepare to support the community in our city. I know people in the community appreciate that, but it’s also a message to everyone else – and we would do the same for other communities as well – that we don’t tolerate violence against people based on bias and we will act accordingly. And I hope today, that I can just elevate a bit, the example of New York City, and say to a lot of valued colleagues around the world that they need to push their governments too, to be resolute and consistent in acting when the Jewish community is under attack.

Josh Robin: Let me ask you one final question. When you first came here in 1980 –
 
Mayor: Yes.

Josh Robin: You were a young man –

Mayor: Yes.

Josh Robin:  And you are little bit of an older young man now.

Mayor: Thank you for that.

[Laughter]

Josh Robin: What was that trip like and what seed do you think that it planted? Because, knowing you as I have for a while, you do seem to be – you’re a spiritual person, you were moved when you came to Jerusalem, it would appear.

Mayor: Yes, yes.

Josh Robin: What seed did it plant and what are we seeing today?

Mayor: It’s very moving to be here and I went to the wall two nights ago and I just spent time – quiet time just reflecting on the power of faith and the power that that site has had in the history of the globe, that – that people have looked to it for generation upon generation –

Josh Robin: Of all – of all the three major faiths?

Mayor: The three major faiths but starting with the Jewish community that – that the notion that I stood before one wall in one place that people for millennia have thought about, prayed about – that it’s been an inspiration and a hope to them. That says something so powerful about the human experience to begin with and the power of the Jewish faith but obviously beyond that, I’m moved by the fact that this the center of three great faiths and when I come here, I think I’m more reflective, I think it – it for me, makes me think beyond the sort of petty realities of day-to-day life and think about what – what we’re doing here, what’s our meaning, all of us, what are – what are we striving for. It’s obviously ironic that a place that is so associated, sadly – the Middle East so associated with conflict and differences, is also the place where the – the notion of unity and the notion of faith is strongest and that actually in the end, reminds me that there’s something better out there for all of us, that there’s a – this current situation which feels stuck or paralyzed, it can’t be the end of the story.

Josh Robin: So, dare I say, you are leaving Israel as, at least somewhat hopeful?

Mayor: Yes I am and I have to tell you, I didn’t expect to be because coming here in the middle of this conflict it – it was understandably a time when I thought I’d – I might leave a little pessimistic. But seeing young Jewish and Arab children together, seeing the parents together, seeing them talk about something that I can relate to personally – that they didn’t have friends from the other community but they found a way to build those friendships and I think for many people even in the United States, we’re not necessarily used to having friends from different communities and something has to spark that – something has to start that. The fact that individuals at the grassroots are making that happen here is inspiring and the visit to Hadassah – and first of all, Hadassah is a story I wish people knew more because it’s not only a story of so much good being done for people in need but also a hospital devoted to serving all communities – and with staff from all communities. I think that that simple image, that simple idea is not understood in the world, that here’s this quintessentially Israeli institution that is an example of unity and fairness and balance that is very, very moving. And then to meet the survivors of these terror attacks who weren’t bitter, I mean it was so striking. You know after Charleston, we were all very moved by the families of the victims granting forgiveness to the shooter. It was one of the most powerful moments in recent memory. Well, the three – the three victims I saw last night, two of the actual victims and the wife of another, and the wife, it was so powerful – an American woman who had come here in the 1980’s with her husband. He had been attacked in the recent terror attacks and she told me the story of her and her husband, as young college students, were freedom writers and tried to make our nation – make America a better place and then they brought that spirit here. And interestingly, she had been teaching with the very same group, hand in hand, that I visited earlier in the day – amazing coincidence. There wasn’t bitterness – three victims, that I met, who were all very, very different, there wasn’t bitterness; there was a resolve to keep addressing the problems of the world and keep moving forward. I didn’t expect to go to Hadassah Hospital after terror attacks and be inspired, but I was.

Josh Robin: And not all of the victims were Jewish.

Mayor: No, in fact the first woman I met, Ms. Veldman, was a Dutch, Christian woman, who has devoted herself to the community here, helping young Arab children who didn’t have homes and she had been a nurse at Haddassah Hospital earlier in her career. And so think of that, a Christian woman, who was a nurse at a Jewish hospital, who devoted herself to being a foster mother for Arab children, just had been stabbed – and she’s in her hospital bed and she says to me she’s not bitter and her heart’s still filled with love for Jews and Arabs alike. You know, that’s an example of what’s possible, that’s an example of what’s good in all humanity, so I left the hospital inspired.

Josh Robin: We should leave it there.

Mayor: Amen.

Josh Robin: Thank you very much.