Seldowitz is a career diplomat and "regular," you might say, in American politics. He is also Jewish and lives in New York City where street vendors, often run by Arabs, are showing their support for the millions of Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip who are now in the crosshairs of Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
Apparently, Seldowitz has been harassing one cart of the halal variety for several weeks now. He reportedly blocks customers from purchasing food while harassing the cart's operator for supporting the Palestinians.
In at least one disturbing exchange, Seldowitz told the cart operator that even more children in Gaza need to die because not enough of them have had their lives taken by the Israeli military.
This man wearing a green jacket was berating and harassing a halal cart vendor off 83rd and 2nd Ave in NYC. Does anyone know who this man is? Planning to report to the authorities. pic.twitter.com/GwklyXpsPH
— Layla ? (@itslaylas) November 21, 2023
(Related: IDF soldiers are now being accused of abusing and torturing Palestinian laborers who were working in Israel legally at the time of the October 7 Hamas attack.)
In another exchange, Seldowitz badgered the Arab man about the prophet Mohammed, asking the man if he rapes his own daughter "like Mohammed did."
"The holy Koran ... some people use as a toilet," Seldowitz reportedly said to the Arab man on another day. "What do you think of that – people who use the Koran as a toilet? Does it bother you?"
Since the Arab man spoke with a broken English accent, Seldowitz harassed him for this, too.
"You don't speak English? That's too bad," he said mockingly one day. "That's why you're selling food in a food cart. Because you're ignorant. You should learn English. It will help you when they deport you back to Egpyt and the Mukhabarat (intelligence service) wants to interview you."
In other exchanges, Seldowitz further mocked Mohammed, the prophet of Islam, calling him "a child molester." Seldowitz also loves to show off the Israel flag bearing what many now recognize as the Star of Remphan mentioned in Amos 5.
It would take a construction worker to finally intervene on behalf of the Arab man in defending him against Seldowitz's constant harassment, which caused Seldowitz to make national headlines.
"I regret the whole thing that happened and I'm sorry," Seldowitz later apologized, sort of, in an interview with City & State New York. "But you know, in the heat of the moment, I said things that probably I shouldn't have said."
It is worth noting that the Arab man who runs the food court had previously stated something along the lines of "I approve of Hamas" or "I like Hamas," to quote Seldowitz's claims about why he even engaged with the guy in the first place.
Seldowitz is a member of the Israeli American Council's Rimon Club, which requires an annual contribution of at least $5,000 in order to remain active.
"The mission of the Israeli-American Council (IAC) to build an engaged and united Israeli-American community that strengthens the Israeli and Jewish identity of our next generation, the American Jewish community, and the bond between the peoples of the United States and the State of Israel," the group's website explains about its mission.
What will happen in the Middle East in the coming days and weeks? Learn more at Chaos.news.
Sources for this article include: