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Edited by: Fern Sidman
A nonprofit organization founded by former New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, Never Again, NOW!, has released its inaugural television advertisement condemning Hamas for its October 7 attack and criticizing demonstrators protesting Israel’s military actions in Gaza, according to a report that appeared on Tuesday on the FoxNews.com web site. The ad campaign is set to air across New York state in the week following the July 4 holiday and is poised to become a contentious issue in the current election season.
The one-minute commercial by Never Again, NOW! directly targets those who have shown sympathy towards Hamas, portraying such support as aligning with terrorism. As was reported by FoxNews.com, the ad features a narrator questioning the motivations of the protesters: “Do they really know who they’re protesting for? If you stand with Hamas, you stand with terror.”
Founded in March 2023 by Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat who resigned from office in 2021 amid allegations of sexual harassment, Never Again, NOW! is a nonprofit social welfare organization. According to the information provided in the FoxNews.com report, the group’s mission is to educate and promote understanding about the relationship between Israel and the United States, with a particular focus on countering misinformation about Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip.
The ad campaign also addresses the surge in anti-Israel protests that have taken place on multiple college campuses across the United States. Since the October 7 attack by Hamas, demonstrations have not only shown support for Gaza but have also, in some instances, escalated into threats against Jewish students and faculty, as per the information contained in the Fox News report. The ad suggests that such protests may be misguided or misinformed about the true nature of Hamas and its activities.
The narrative put forth by Never Again, NOW! is that these demonstrations, while perhaps intended to express solidarity with Palestinians, inadvertently support a group engaged in terrorism. Indicated in the Fox News report was that the organization aims to challenge and change the discourse around these protests by highlighting the violent actions of Hamas and questioning the wisdom of supporting such a group.
The release of this ad is expected to generate significant debate and controversy. The Israel-Hamas conflict remains one of the most polarizing issues in American politics, especially in the context of recent escalations. By directly addressing protesters and drawing a stark line between supporting Gaza and supporting terrorism, the ad is likely to attract lively debates,
“We are at a crucial moment in history where anti-Semitism is spreading unchecked and support for Israel in this country is waning,” Cuomo stated, as was noted in the Fox News report.
“This ad does two things,” Cuomo explained to Fox News. “One, tells the truth about Hamas and what happened on Oct. 7. Two: It reminds people that Israel is the victim.”
The advertisement does not shy away from detailing the grim realities of Hamas’s actions and governance. It describes Hamas’s links to terrorism, persecution of women and LGBTQ individuals, beheadings, and violence against children and infants. “Hamas ran Gaza for 15 years, siphoning relief money to build an underground war machine,” the ad states, as was affirmed in the Fox News report. “Hamas is not a resistance movement with a cause. It’s a genocidal terrorist organization dedicated to killing all Jews and more.”
By highlighting these brutalities, the advertisement seeks to dismantle any sympathetic portrayals of Hamas as merely a resistance group..
