Village of Great Neck Mayor Pedram Bral said Tuesday night seeing pictures from the war between Israel and Hamas are “horrifying” ahead of the village’s board of trustees meeting.
“Hamas has shown the world who they are and I believe that the world now stands strong with Israel,” Bral said before the meeting commenced.
The mayor said more Jews were killed on Oct. 7 than on any day since the Holocaust and it’s heartbreaking to see civilians die as a result of the conflict. Bral added that the local community should do whatever it can to combat any forms of antisemitism and islamophobia.
“Being pro-Palestine is not being pro-Hamas,” Bral said. “I believe anyone sitting here is more pro-Palestine than Hamas is.”
Bral said it is important to stand strong with our Muslim neighbors and not form opinions based on hearsay, referencing Mangia Bene co-owner Adam Almaghribi being accused of posting pro-Hamas and pro-Palestinian content on Facebook.
An impersonator of Almaghribi, who spelled his last name wrong, made pro-Hamas content on Facebook.
“It is important for all of us to stay united,” Bral said.
In unrelated village news, the board will be hearing a site plan application by the Great Neck Alert Fire Company, which plans to build a new firetruck garage and maintenance building next to its company No. 1 firehouse.
William McGirr, chairman of the board for the company, said to the board Tuesday night he is looking to formalize the site plans that were previously denied in June and seek a decrease in the paving permit fees.
After speaking in an executive session, the board reconvened and said the hearing for the site plan will be on Nov. 7. The legal notice for the hearing will be published and distributed to the residents within a 200-square-foot radius of the area. The paving fees were also lowered from $1 per square foot of the property to $0.25 per square foot of the property.
In other village news, the board authorized to expend $8,500 for Best Tree Care, Inc. to remove eight oak trees on Carriage Road.
