Barack Obama’s former National Security Council director says, “It’s probably me” who was seen carrying out an Islamophobic attack on a street vendor, but says, “I don’t think I’m an Islamophobic guy.”
Stuart Seldowitz, 64, was outed for appearing in two videos this week in which he shouted foul language at the owner of a halal cart on East 83rd Street in New York City.
He said: “If we killed 4,000 Palestinian children, that wouldn’t be enough” and asked if the victim “raped his daughter like Mohammed and threatened deportation.”
Following the shocking footage posted online on Tuesday, New York-based Gotham Government Relations terminated “all association” with him.
Speaking to City & State on Tuesday evening, Seldowitz, who served as deputy director in the State Department’s Office of Israel and Palestinian Affairs from 1999 to 2003, apologized.
“I regret that the whole thing happened and I’m sorry,” he said. “But you know, in the heat of the moment I said things I probably shouldn’t have said.”
Barack Obama’s former National Security Council director says, “It’s probably me” who carried out an Islamophobic attack on a street vendor, but says, “I don’t think I’m an Islamophobic guy.”
This man in a green jacket insulted and harassed a Halal cart vendor at 83rd and 2nd Ave in NYC. Does anyone know who this man is? I plan to report to the authorities. pic.twitter.com/GwklyXpsPH
– Layla 🪬 (@itslaylas) November 21, 2023
He clarified: “I had an argument with a food clerk.” It’s entirely possible that it was me. “I mean, I haven’t seen the video, but I think it’s probably me.”
Although he complains about the salesman’s belief in the Koran, he doesn’t think he has a problem with Muslims.
“If I had to do it all over again, I wouldn’t have brought up the religious aspect,” Seldowitz said.
“I don’t think I’m an Islamophobe.” “I have advocated for equal treatment of Muslims on numerous occasions to a wide variety of people.”
“You support the killing of small children,” says Seldowitz, taking a photo of the seller and asking him to smile. He asks him: “Did you rape your daughter like Mohammed?”
Seldowitz calls the man a “rapist” and calls him “ignorant” because of his lack of English, after which he goes on a tirade about the Koran.
“What are you saying? They speak Arabic, the language of the Quran, the Holy Quran. “Some people use this as a toilet,” he says.
‘What do you think of it? People who use the Koran as a toilet. Do you mind? Do you mind? Tell me the truth? You do not speak English? That’s too bad.’
“That’s why you’re selling food in a food truck because you’re ignorant, but you should learn English. “It’ll help you when they deport you back to Egypt.”
Gotham Government Relations, a New York-based firm, has terminated “all association” with 64-year-old Stuart Seldowitz over the videos
The original video, which lasts over two minutes, shows Seldowitz talking to a halal cart salesman, using slurs for Egyptians, and then saying that secret service agents in Egypt are “getting your parents.”
This man continues to abuse and harass the Halal cart seller. He ends the video with “If we killed 4,000 Palestinian children? It wasn’t enough.” pic.twitter.com/yhu4HSvIEZ
– Layla 🪬 (@itslaylas) November 21, 2023
His harassment of the halal cart vendor at 83rd and 2nd Avenue has been going on for two weeks.
The NYPD was called multiple times, the local precinct stated that “they can’t do anything because it’s free speech.” pic.twitter.com/6LYL40TTFK– Layla 🪬 (@itslaylas) November 21, 2023
Seldowitz said he had several altercations with the cart clerk, which a store employee confirmed to Tuesday evening.
“Yeah, I went back because I pass by that food truck on a regular basis and I came back and had other arguments,” he explained.
New York Attorney General Letitia James said on
Gotham Government Relations claimed that Seldowitz had not worked there for years, although Vice claimed he was hired as chairman of foreign affairs in 2022.
“I haven’t worked with Gotham in a very long time,” Seldowitz claimed.
“I had a high opinion of the people of Gotham until I found out they had made this statement.” I considered the people of Gotham friends, and I didn’t have a chance to talk to them or try to talk to them about it to talk about why they felt the need to make that statement.”
The feeling appears to be mutual, as David Schwartz, the founder and president of Gotham Government Relations, said that Seldowitz was never an employee and that he would help the sellers if they took him to court.
“By the way, I will represent the food vendor on a pro bono basis if he wants to file a lawsuit against Stuart Seldowitz,” he said. “I am absolutely outraged by this video.”
His LinkedIn page shows a stint as acting director of the National Security Council’s South Asia Directorate from February 2009 to January 2011 under President Obama.
Referring to Israel’s response to the Hamas attack that killed 1,200 people, he also says: “If we killed 4,000 Palestinian children? It wasn’t enough.’
According to his LinkedIn page, Seldowitz also worked as a journalist – briefly as an editor for Bloomberg News – a strategist and a life insurance broker.
However, Northwestern Mutual – which he listed as his current employer on that site – said on X early Thursday: “We have confirmed that this individual is neither contracted with nor affiliated with Northwestern Mutual.”
Left-wing journalist Matt Binder claimed that Seldowitz served as a State Department agent under five different presidents.
According to his Gotham bio – which has since been removed – he is a three-time winner of the State Department’s Superior Honor Award.
Tommy Vietor, host of the popular liberal podcast Pod Save America and a former spokesman for Obama and the NSC, explained his role in a post on X.
“He was a State Department employee for 30 years who reported to the NSC during the Obama administration, not a direct employee. “But it’s terribly embarrassing for the US government to associate this guy in any way.”
In the BitChute interview, he claims that people find it difficult to understand the conflict because they have no connection to the Arab and Muslim world.
“Their culture, their religion, their history is so different than most of us.”
Left-wing journalist Matt Binder claimed that Seldowitz served as a State Department agent under five different presidents
“He was a State Department employee for 30 years reporting to the NSC during the Obama administration, not a direct employee,” said former Obama spokesman Tommy Vietor. “But it’s terribly embarrassing for the U.S. government to associate this guy in any way.”
He adds that he believes that based on his reading of its charter, Hamas’s “ultimate goal is, frankly, the creation of an Islamic state and an Islamic caliphate throughout the Middle East and even beyond.”
“Hamas is and was an organization that had no interest in a peace agreement with Israel, no interest in compromise, no interest in negotiations,” he said.
“They have a very clear view of the world that Israel must be destroyed, it must be replaced by a Palestinian state, it must be replaced by a particularly Islamist state. “That doesn’t just apply to Israel.”
He added that Hamas had been preparing for the attack for over two years, calling their plan “very sophisticated, very effective” and that they were “pretty smart guys” who carried out the attack because the Palestinians felt the West has forgotten them in the wake of the Abraham Accords under President Trump.
While praising Hamas’s intelligence, he said at one point in the interview, “During my time at the State Department, we always joked that the Middle East was quickly entering the 14th century.”
He also said he was “very surprised” and “heartened” that “no one” in America or Europe said Israel’s response was a war crime. At this point, only 1,000 people had been killed in Palestine
has reached out to Gotham, Seldowitz and the State Department for comment.
Israel and Hamas appeared close to an agreement Tuesday to temporarily end their devastating six-week war over the release of dozens of hostages held in the Gaza Strip in exchange for Palestinians in Israeli prisons.
But as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened his cabinet for a vote, he promised to continue Israel’s offensive against Hamas once the ceasefire ends.
“We are at war and we will continue the war,” he said. “We will continue until we achieve all of our goals.”
The Israeli Cabinet was expected to vote on a plan that would halt the Israeli offensive in Gaza for several days in return for the release of about 50 of the 240 hostages held by Hamas.
Israel has vowed to continue the war until it destroys Hamas’ military capabilities and returns all hostages.
Hamas predicted that a Qatar-brokered deal could be reached in “the coming hours.”
Mr. Netanyahu acknowledged that the Cabinet faced a difficult decision, but supporting the ceasefire was the right decision.
The prime minister appeared to have enough support to pass the measure despite opposition from some hardline ministers.
Mr. Netanyahu said intelligence efforts will be maintained during the lull to allow the army to prepare for the next phases of the battle. He said the fighting would continue until “Gaza no longer poses a threat to Israel.”
The comments came as Israel and Hamas appeared to be close to an agreement to temporarily end their devastating six-week war so that dozens of hostages held in the Gaza Strip could be released in exchange for Palestinians in Israeli prisons.
A woman tapes up photos of Israelis missing and held captive in Gaza as officials are said to be considering a deal to secure the release of some hostages
Fighting in the Gaza Strip, now in its seventh week, has shifted to the Jabaliya refugee camp
Hamas predicted a Qatar-brokered deal could be reached in “the coming hours”, while Mr Netanyahu summoned senior decision-makers to discuss the matter.
“We are advancing,” the prime minister told troops during a visit to a training base early Tuesday. “I hope there will be good news soon.”
The announcement came as Israeli troops battled Palestinian militants in an urban refugee camp in northern Gaza and near hospitals overflowing with patients and homeless families.
Mr. Netanyahu’s office said the three-member special war cabinet met on Tuesday and that meetings of his security cabinet, a forum of senior security officials and the entire cabinet would follow.
There was no word on whether a vote would take place and details of a deal were not released.
Israeli media reported that an agreement would include a five-day halt to the Israeli offensive in Gaza and the release of 50 hostages held by Hamas in exchange for about 150 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
Israel’s Channel 12 television said the first broadcasts would take place on Thursday or Friday and last for several days.
The talks have repeatedly stalled. But even if a deal is reached, it would not mean the end of the war that broke out on October 7 after Hamas militants stormed across the border into southern Israel, killing at least 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and around 240 kidnapped others.