Legislator Troubled By 'Despicable' Call For Global Jihad Against Jews

PLAINVIEW, NY — Amid the war in Israel, Hamas called for a "global Jihad" on Friday. Nassau County Legislator Arnold Drucker (D-Plainview) said it's "despicable," but he said Jews can take comfort that "law enforcement [is] standing guard."

Despite any apprehension, the legislator said it's important that Long Islanders go on with their lives, while staying "hyper-vigilant."

As Israel fights the terrorist group, anti-Israel protests have swelled across the country, including at New York University and Columbia University.

"It sickens me," Drucker said, whose son-in-law lives in Northern Israel.

Drucker, who runs an anti-Semitism task force, said hatred has been growing in recent years.

"Now you're seeing the peak of it," he said. "I'm horrified by it."

A handful of Democrats in Congress, including Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, have called for an end to the bloodshed in the name of human rights, but did not condemn the actions of Hamas.

"Hamas is a loosely held group of fanatics and terrorists," Drucker said. "They're just bent on the eradication and destruction of the state of Israel."