RSS
Governor’s Race Preview? Ritchie Torres Holds Higher Approval Rating Than Mike Lawler Among NY Jews: Poll
US Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) speaks during the House Financial Services Committee hearing in Washington, DC, Sept. 30, 2021. Photo: Al Drago/Pool via REUTERS
A recent Siena College poll found that Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) holds a higher approval rating among Jewish registered voters in New York State than Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY), setting the stage for an expected race for the governor’s mansion in 2026 between the two US lawmakers.
Torres enjoys a 41 percent approval rating among New York Jews, compared to an 8 percent disapproval rating, the poll showed. Comparatively, Lawler, who is Jewish himself, holds a 31 percent approval rating and 24 percent disapproval rating among Jews in the state.
Both Torres and Lawler are widely expected to throw their hat in the ring for the 2026 New York gubernatorial election.
While the Siena College poll found that about half the electorate either didn’t know the lawmakers or didn’t have an opinion of them, only 33 percent of New Yorkers stated that they plan on voting for incumbent Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) in 2026, indicating her vulnerability.
Torres, whose district represents large swaths of the Bronx, has been increasingly critical of Hochul, lambasting her for supposedly being a political “insider” who lacks the fortitude to combat corruption within The Empire State. He has also called Hochul a “hypocrite” for switching her positions on gun rights and congestion pricing.
Moreover, since his arrival in Congress, Torres has been highly outspoken against antisemitism, oftentimes criticizing fellow liberals over their unwillingness to combat bigotry against the Jewish community. He has relentlessly criticized local universities such as New York University (NYU) and Columbia University for fostering campus environments which condone antisemitic conduct from faculty and students. He has called on local universities to amend their non-discrimination policies to include “Zionist” students as a protected identity.
Lawler, who represents New York’s 17th Congressional District, has also been floated as a potential contender for the New York governorship. Lawler slammed Hochul after the governor announced an “inflation check” program, which would send $300 dollars to New Yorkers making up to $150,000 per year and $300 to families making $300,000 per year. The lawmaker has also criticized Hochul over her refusal to aggressively tackle surging crime and violence within the state.
“It should come as no surprise that the most incompetent Governor in New York’s history isn’t capable of reading a balance sheet,” Lawler said recently. “But it is sad that Governor Hochul feels the need to lie to New Yorkers about how her political ‘vote-for-me’ checks are being paid for.”
Like Torres, Lawler has positioned himself as a stalwart ally of Israel since entering Congress, oftentimes spearheading bills to combat antisemitism both domestically and abroad. Lawler has also sponsored legislation to target countries and entities that treat Israel unfairly, such as the “Stand With Israel Act,” which would defund United Nations agencies that “expel, downgrade, suspend, or otherwise restrict the participation of the State of Israel.”
The post Governor’s Race Preview? Ritchie Torres Holds Higher Approval Rating Than Mike Lawler Among NY Jews: Poll first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
RSS
After False Dawns, Gazans Hope Trump Will Force End to Two-Year-Old War
Palestinians walk past a residential building destroyed in previous Israeli strikes, after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a US plan to end the war, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Exhausted Palestinians in Gaza clung to hopes on Saturday that US President Donald Trump would keep up pressure on Israel to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced the entire population of more than two million.
Hamas’ declaration that it was ready to hand over hostages and accept some terms of Trump’s plan to end the conflict while calling for more talks on several key issues was greeted with relief in the enclave, where most homes are now in ruins.
“It’s happy news, it saves those who are still alive,” said 32-year-old Saoud Qarneyta, reacting to Hamas’ response and Trump’s intervention. “This is enough. Houses have been damaged, everything has been damaged, what is left? Nothing.”
GAZAN RESIDENT HOPES ‘WE WILL BE DONE WITH WARS’
Ismail Zayda, 40, a father of three, displaced from a suburb in northern Gaza City where Israel launched a full-scale ground operation last month, said: “We want President Trump to keep pushing for an end to the war, if this chance is lost, it means that Gaza City will be destroyed by Israel and we might not survive.
“Enough, two years of bombardment, death and starvation. Enough,” he told Reuters on a social media chat.
“God willing this will be the last war. We will hopefully be done with the wars,” said 59-year-old Ali Ahmad, speaking in one of the tented camps where most Palestinians now live.
“We urge all sides not to backtrack. Every day of delay costs lives in Gaza, it is not just time wasted, lives get wasted too,” said Tamer Al-Burai, a Gaza City businessman displaced with members of his family in central Gaza Strip.
After two previous ceasefires — one near the start of the war and another earlier this year — lasted only a few weeks, he said; “I am very optimistic this time, maybe Trump’s seeking to be remembered as a man of peace, will bring us real peace this time.”
RESIDENT WORRIES THAT NETANYAHU WILL ‘SABOTAGE’ DEAL
Some voiced hopes of returning to their homes, but the Israeli military issued a fresh warning to Gazans on Saturday to stay out of Gaza City, describing it as a “dangerous combat zone.”
Gazans have faced previous false dawns during the past two years, when Trump and others declared at several points during on-off negotiations between Hamas, Israel and Arab and US mediators that a deal was close, only for war to rage on.
“Will it happen? Can we trust Trump? Maybe we trust Trump, but will Netanyahu abide this time? He has always sabotaged everything and continued the war. I hope he ends it now,” said Aya, 31, who was displaced with her family to Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
She added: “Maybe there is a chance the war ends at October 7, two years after it began.”
RSS
Mass Rally in Rome on Fourth Day of Italy’s Pro-Palestinian Protests
A Pro-Palestinian demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a national protest for Gaza in Rome, Italy, October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Claudia Greco
Large crowds assembled in central Rome on Saturday for the fourth straight day of protests in Italy since Israel intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza, and detained its activists.
People holding banners and Palestinian flags, chanting “Free Palestine” and other slogans, filed past the Colosseum, taking part in a march that organizers hoped would attract at least 1 million people.
“I’m here with a lot of other friends because I think it is important for us all to mobilize individually,” Francesco Galtieri, a 65-year-old musician from Rome, said. “If we don’t all mobilize, then nothing will change.”
Since Israel started blocking the flotilla late on Wednesday, protests have sprung up across Europe and in other parts of the world, but in Italy they have been a daily occurrence, in multiple cities.
On Friday, unions called a general strike in support of the flotilla, with demonstrations across the country that attracted more than 2 million, according to organizers. The interior ministry estimated attendance at around 400,000.
Italy’s right-wing government has been critical of the protests, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggesting that people would skip work for Gaza just as an excuse for a longer weekend break.
On Saturday, Meloni blamed protesters for insulting graffiti that appeared on a statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside Rome’s main train station, where Pro-Palestinian groups have been holding a protest picket.
“They say they are taking to the streets for peace, but then they insult the memory of a man who was a true defender and builder of peace. A shameful act committed by people blinded by ideology,” she said in a statement.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive after Hamas terrorists staged a cross border attack on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage.
RSS
Hamas Says It Agrees to Release All Israeli Hostages Under Trump Gaza Plan
Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, October 2, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Hamas said on Friday it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, under the terms of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal, and signaled readiness to immediately enter mediated negotiations to discuss the details.