New York - Candidate For Governor Suozzi on Israel and NY Casinos

New York - Candidate for governor Tom Suozzi took a break from his attacks on Eliot Spitzer today to weigh in on the escalating Arab-Israeli conflict in the Middle East. Through his campaign consultant Ezra Friedlander of Brooklyn, the longshot candidate for governor released a strong statement in defense of Israel.

"I feel compelled to speak out in support of Israel as the country is facing an unprecedented attack on its sovereignty, suffering a daily and indiscriminate barrage of attacks. As a nation that shares our Democratic values and that has been a loyal friend to our country in our times of need, Israel deserves our full-fledged and unequivocal support as it engages in a campaign of defense against the attacks it is encountering less than a year after disengaging from Gaza."

And on the domestic front, Suozzi was in Buffalo to announce a one-year moratorium on new casinos, "in order to negotiate a new arrangement to keep casino revenues in local communities.” He was talking about a plan by the Senecas to open a casino in downtown Buffalo, which he said would send a quarter of the public's take to the state and only 6.25 percent to local counties.

Our understanding of the situation is that new casinos in New York are already on hold, due to state and federal court decisions.