Zohran Mamdani, Israel and Netanyahu

The International Criminal Court's finding was correct.

I don’t know anything about Zohran Mamdani except what I heard on TV and a little of what I read on the Internet in the last couple of days. But he has been strongly attacked because of his outspoken support of Palestinian rights and criticism of Israeli policies, and saying that if Netanyahu comes to NY he would do what the International Criminal Court ordered and arrest him. But he does not support antisemitism and says it has no place in New York. He also does not support violence against Israelis.

I am not a politician. As a 6-year-old child I survived the Holocaust. I have done research on the roots of caring and helping, on the roots and prevention of violence between groups, and helping groups make peace after violence, including violence as terrible as the genocide in Rwanda. The things I described above that Mr. Mamdani says I agree with. Especially when it comes to Netanyahu: he is a cancer on both the Palestinians and Israelis. He is destroying both Palestine, and Israel. The only way those two peoples will make peace, which I believe is of paramount importance for the well-being of both parties, is by the establishment of a Palestinian State, with two states living side by side. Netanyahu, in his 17 years as prime minister, except for a single moment when he lied to maintain American support, did all he could to make that not happen. Now Trump comes along and he loves Netanyahu. The current Israeli government is willing to impose any harm on Palestinians in Gaza, and allows Israeli settlers to attack Palestinians in the West Bank, their trees, their lands, the people. How terrible, for a people who suffered as much as Jews did, to do all that. How sad for me, who barely survived the Holocaust in Hungary, and then although the communist government forbade it, kneeling next to the radio with sound turned down, with my parents and young sister, listening to voice of America as the UN discussed the establishment of Israel, after the Holocaust our great hope.

https://staubervin.com/ (new website, with photos, July 2025)

Ervin Staub, Professor Emeritus of Psychology, Founding Director of the Psychology of Peace and Violence program, University of Massachusetts Amherst

Latest book: The roots of goodness and resistance to evil: Inclusive caring, moral courage, altruism born of suffering, active bystandership and heroism

https://people.umass.edu/estaub/ old website, includes Vita and list of talks