“Has echoes of October 7, Hamas attack”: American Jewish Community official on Pahalgam terror attack

Chief Policy and Political Affairs Officer of the American Jewish Committee, Jason Isaacson, on Friday said that the Pahalgam terrorist attack was a “brutal” and “horrific” attack and compared it to the October 7, 2023, attack by Hamas on Israel.

Jason Isaacson said that this attack has “shaken India to the core” and has “echoes” of the October 7, 2023, attack in which Hamas terrorists killed over 1,200 people and took over 200 hostages in a coordinated attack on Southern Israel.

Speaking with ANI, Jason Isaacson said. “The massacre of 7th October 2023 by Hamas was brutal and it has left a very deep scar…That attack echoes in my mind as I see what has happened in Jammu & Kashmir. It was a brutal and horrific attack on people vacationing and singling them out as Hindus. A terrorist act which has shaken India to the core. It has also horrified people worldwide…It has echoes of what happened on October 7, 202,3, in Israel,

Isaacson agreed that Hamas and LeT’s operations regarding targeting of civilians on religious identity have similarities and said that their “motivation is to identify others as evil.”

He further assured that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has complete support to “root out terrorists.”

“Yes, that is the characteristic of the terrorist. Their motivation is to identify others as evil that need to be wiped out in some genocidal campaign. It is certainly characteristic of Hezbollah’s feelings towards Jews, and has characteristics of a certain movement that has targeted Hindus. PM Modi has pledged to root out these terrorists, and he has the full support of my country and other friends of India around the world,” Isaacson said.

Isaacson further said that it is “not a big leap of imagination” to think there may be Pakistan’s involvement in the Pahalgam attack, suggesting that they can’t operate without the funding or support of Pakistani society, military or intelligence service.

“It doesn’t take too large a stretch of an imagination to think that if no funding or support for this movement is provided by the elements within the Pakistani society, or military, or intelligence services, if such a force can operate that has a clear motivation to drive India out. It is not a big leap of imagination to think there may be some Pakistani involvement,” Isaacson said.

Terrorists attacked tourists at Baisaran meadow in Pahalgam on Tuesday, killing 25 Indian nationals and one Nepali citizen while leaving several others injured, in one of the deadliest attacks in the valley since the 2019 Pulwama strike in which 40 CRPF jawans were killed.