Mayor de Blasio, Visiting Israel, Takes a Careful Route With Every Word
- 9 years ago
Abroad in a turbulent region, Mayor Bill de Blasio played it safe.
His 48-hour trip to Israel, which concluded on Sunday, was conceived as a standard-issue outreach to Jewish groups.
It quickly morphed into a tricky political balancing act, as Mr. de Blasio, a Democrat, found himself arriving here amid an outbreak of violence, casting his words and actions into an unusually harsh glare.
A proposed trip to meet Palestinians in the occupied West Bank was scrapped in favor of a visit with Jewish and Arab schoolchildren near Jerusalem, as allies acknowledged an excursion to Ramallah would be politically challenging.
In public remarks, the mayor expressed dismay at the recent attacks on civilians here, saying he stood "in solidarity with the Israeli people," but he refrained from identifying any culprits.
"I don't want to pretend to understand the nuances of the situation," said Mr. de Blasio, who visited with Mr. Netanyahu on Sunday.
His 48-hour trip to Israel, which concluded on Sunday, was conceived as a standard-issue outreach to Jewish groups.
It quickly morphed into a tricky political balancing act, as Mr. de Blasio, a Democrat, found himself arriving here amid an outbreak of violence, casting his words and actions into an unusually harsh glare.
A proposed trip to meet Palestinians in the occupied West Bank was scrapped in favor of a visit with Jewish and Arab schoolchildren near Jerusalem, as allies acknowledged an excursion to Ramallah would be politically challenging.
In public remarks, the mayor expressed dismay at the recent attacks on civilians here, saying he stood "in solidarity with the Israeli people," but he refrained from identifying any culprits.
"I don't want to pretend to understand the nuances of the situation," said Mr. de Blasio, who visited with Mr. Netanyahu on Sunday.