State Democratic Party Chairman Jay Jacobs has condemned a statement by the Young Democrats of Albany County that accused Israel of genocide in Gaza.
Jacobs, who is Jewish and the descendant of Holocaust survivors, told The Post on Wednesday that he rejects the characterization entirely. “I disagree with their categorization. Genocide it is not,” he said. “In war, reprehensible things happen. Wars are not neat things without unintended consequences.”
The intraparty clash erupted after the Young Democrats of Albany County posted a Sept. 3 statement from its executive board to social media. The group, an offshoot of the county Democratic organization, did not mention Hamas or the militant group’s Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel that killed about 1,200 people, including more than 800 civilians and many young people at a music festival.
“Let us make this crystal clear: Benjamin Netanyahu’s Israeli government has committed a genocide in Gaza and gross violations of international law against the Palestinian people,” the Young Democrats wrote in their statement. The group added that it stood “firmly in solidarity with young Democrats across America in fighting for the Palestinian people” and opposed “the genocide in Gaza, the occupation of the West Bank and the Israeli government’s denial of civil and political rights on an equal basis in the territories its military occupies.”
The Young Democrats also called for an end to what they described as a “blank check” of billions of dollars in military aid to Israel. “Young Democrats oppose the genocide in Gaza, the occupation of the West Bank and the Israeli government’s denial of civil and political rights on an equal basis in the territories its military occupies,” the statement continued.
Jacobs pushed back sharply, telling The Post the statement “does not take into account the reality, the existential threat to Israel.” He noted that “Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack was an existential threat. Hostages were taken.” While Jacobs said there is legitimate criticism of Netanyahu’s government, including its policies on Jewish settlers in the West Bank, he insisted Israel is not intentionally trying to wipe out Gaza’s civilian population. “Look up the definition of genocide,” he said.
Gary Greenberg, a 25-year veteran of the Albany County Democratic Committee, went further in his condemnation. “They’re basically supporting the policies of Hamas. That’s who the Palestinians are,” he told The Post Wednesday. “They’re basically siding with the Palestinians who crossed the border and invaded Israel [on Oct. 7, 2023].”
Greenberg demanded action from county leadership. “It’s a vile rant against the Jewish community. It’s a Jew hatred statement. The head of the Albany County Democrats Jake Crawford and County Executive Dan McCoy must rescind this vile rant against the Jewish community,” he said.
The statement from the Albany Young Democrats reflects broader tensions within the party over Israel policy, aligning with positions taken by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, congressional candidate Darializa Avila Chevalier, and progressive House members including Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar.
Jacobs sought to contain the fallout, characterizing the Albany group’s stance as an “outlier” within the broader party committee. The New York State Young Democrats, the statewide organization that does not include the Israel-Gaza conflict in its platform, had no immediate comment when reached by The Post.
The Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack on southern Israel killed approximately 1,200 people, the vast majority of them civilians, and saw around 250 people taken hostage back to Gaza. Israel responded with a massive military campaign in Gaza that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, according to health authorities in the territory, and has drawn accusations of war crimes and genocide from international bodies and human rights organizations.
The Albany County Democratic Committee and County Executive McCoy had not publicly responded to calls to rescind the Young Democrats’ statement as of Wednesday.