New York, October 12 - — Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Monday he would accept an invitation from Israel’s consul general in New York to view a 47-minute film of the October 7, 2023 attacks on southern Israel, provided he is permitted to block out all visual and auditory input for the duration of the screening, a condition City Hall described as consistent with a longstanding practice of informed engagement.

Ofir Akunis extended the invitation last Monday evening at a memorial held by the Israeli consulate and in a formal letter, ahead of a screening in the city to mark three years since the attacks. The film, produced by the Israel Defense Forces, includes footage recorded by the attackers themselves, and by gleeful Gaza civilians who followed them to loot, rape, and destroy. Akunis said the mayor would, for the first time, be able to see what was done that morning.

A spokesperson confirmed Mamdani is “prepared to sit in the room” and does not object to the length of the material. “He has never refused to look at evidence,” the spokesperson said. “The blindfold and earplugs are simply the method by which he looks at it.”

Under the arrangement proposed by City Hall, the mayor would be seated facing the monitor. A cloth blindfold, supplied by his staff, would be tied before the first frame. Foam earplugs, also supplied by his staff, would be inserted before audio begins. At the conclusion he would issue a written statement acknowledging that he had been present for the screening.

Negotiators asked whether the blindfold could be removed for still photographs of victims or whether one earplug might be loosened during recorded phone calls placed by people hiding in safe rooms. City Hall replied that partial measures would compromise the integrity of the viewing. “Selective exposure creates bias,” the spokesperson said. “The mayor prefers a uniform standard.”

The office added that Mamdani has already reviewed extensive secondary literature, social-media summaries, and statements from organizations that describe the day’s events as the predictable outcome of prior conditions. Those materials, unlike the raw video, do not require sensory equipment. He has cited them in remarks since taking office on January 1.

After the session he plans to restate his existing position. The restatement will not be altered by anything he did not see or hear, a result aides characterized as evidence that the process had been conducted fairly.

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