“On his first day as mayor of New York, Mamdani shows his true colors: he abandons the IHRA definition of anti-Semitism and lifts restrictions on the boycott of Israel. This is not leadership. This is anti-Semitic gasoline on an open fire,” – Israeli Foreign Ministry said in the post.
Mamdani became mayor just after midnight on New Year's Eve, the start of a term that Democrats hope will energize the party ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. The 34-year-old Democratic Socialist campaigned on an ambitious but costly agenda, including universal free child care and free buses, financed in part by higher taxes on corporations and the rich.
Friday's public rebuke from the Israeli government adds an international dimension to the controversy already unfolding at home. On Thursday, Jewish rights groups criticized the removal messages related to the fight against anti-Semitism from the official @NYCMayor X account shortly after Mamdani took office, warning that the move could send the wrong message at a particularly sensitive moment.
Mamdani has has repeatedly denied the accusations anti-Semitism, justifying your criticism Israel is rooted in human rights issues. He promised defend New York's Jewish community while maintaining his outspoken views on Middle East politics.
This solidarity with the New York Jewish community was reaffirmed in his swearing-in ceremonywhere he noted the city's diversity, joking: “Where else would a Muslim kid like me grow up eating bagels and salmon every Sunday?”
However, Mamdani supports cutting investment in bonds to put pressure on Israeland says he doesn't believe Israel should exist as a “Jewish state.”
Israeli officials have long viewed Mamdani with suspicion. Following his election victory in November, Israel's Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel described the result was called “deeply troubling”, indicating Mamdani's past activism and rhetoric.
Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu criticized Mamdani's Jewish supporters, accusing them of “raising their hands in support of anti-Semitism in the heartland of America.”
