Cuomo made his announcement on Wednesday night, May 9 during a gala dinner sponsored by the Jewish Community Council of New York.
"I believe true friendship is shown not in the easy times, but in the hard times," Cuomo said in his speech. "In 2002, when suicide bombers were attacking Israeli buses and everybody left, there was no tourism, there were no visitors, I led a New York delegation as a sign of solidarity to go to Israel. . . .
"It's these moments that dissolve the gray into black and white and ask each of us individually, where do you stand and who do you stand with? My answer is simple. As long as I am governor of New York, this state stands 100 percent with Israel and we are proud," Cuomo said.
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