Mamdani deserves the scorn he got for his Oct. 7 lies but Hochul deserves just as much

Mayor Zohran Mamdani was roundly blasted for demonizing Israel on the anniversary of the Oct.7 massacre, but Gov.

Kathy Hochul almost deserves as much scorn.In his statement, Mamdani paid lip service to the “unthinkable loss” three years ago, but quickly pivoted to smearing the Jewish state with lies.Yet not only does Hochul refuse to condemn him for that, she actually agrees with some of his deranged views — and proudly touted them on that very same day.That’s right: On Thursday, when The Post asked Hochul’s spokesman if she had any problems with the mayor’s Oct.7 blood libel, he referred us to what she said on CBS, when she was asked if she, too, believed the bigger crime was Israel’s response.At first, she dodged: “That day speaks for itself,” she replied.But she then turned to scorching Israel, reminding viewers that she’d called for more humanitarian aid in Gaza “to avoid any loss of civilian life,” and it was not provided.

So “I understand the anxiety and the frustration around that experience.”What a gross calumny: The claims of famine in Gaza have been widely debunked, and indeed Israel allowed enormous amounts of aid to flow into the strip, though much of it was stolen by Hamas.Why couldn’t she just say, yes, Mamdani was cruel (if not outrageous) for bashing Israel on a day when it focused on remembering the slaughter of its innocents?Fact is, Hochul lacks a backbone on which to build firm principles.Subscribe to our daily Post Opinion newsletter! Please provide a valid email.

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It’s yet another sign of the gov’s political cowardice: She feels forced to coddle and encourage him, despite his antisemitism and incitement.Her rival for governor in November, Bruce Blakeman, by contrast, laudably decries the rising antisemitism Hizzoner incites and positions himself as the only candidat...