New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio met his Jerusalem counterpart Mayor Nir Barkat on Saturday, and the two visited stabbing victims recovering in Jerusalem's Hadassah Medical Center. The pair was led through the hospital by its acting director general, Professor Tamar Peretz. After meeting some of victims, de Blasio held a news conference alongside Barkat and expressed his solidarity with the people of Israel and particularly Jerusalem. The trip to Israel was de Blasio's first as mayor, but his fourth overall. Aides said de Blasio considered a trip to the West Bank, but it was scuttled because of security concerns. Earlier on Saturday, de Blasio met with Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai in the seaside city before attending an event in the central town of Beit Shemesh sponsored by the Jewish-Arab integrated bilingual school, Hand in Hand. The Jerusalem school, which was targeted by Jewish arsonists last year, is a rare symbol of coexistence in the city. Condemning the recent wave of violence and urging peace, de Blasio said while visiting students at the school that "it's a painful moment here in Israel, it's a moment when I am certainly here in solidarity with the people of Israel. ... No one should be condoning attacks against civilians."
Credit: Benny Pleban
"We feel extraordinary closeness, our people, by blood, by history," de Blasio said. "So when you are going through pain, we feel pain too. When you're under attack, we feel under attack, and I'm honored to be here in that spirit of solidarity and sense of common destiny."
New York mayor visits victims of recent attacks in Jerusalem
"When you're under attack, we feel under attack, and I'm honored to be here in that spirit of solidarity and sense of common destiny," says New York Mayor City Bill de Blasio during visit to Jerusalem • De Blasio's trip was his first to Israel as mayor.
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