New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani did not attend Sunday’s Israel Day parade, becoming the first city mayor in decades to be absent from the annual march.
The New York Parade has been held annually since the 1960s. With New York becoming home to the largest urban Jewish population outside Israel, the event was regularly attended by past mayors and other political leaders eager to win over Israel supporters who celebrated the birth of the Jewish state in 1948.
America’s most populous city is currently home to approximately 1 million Jewish residents.
Also this year, thousands of people rallied through the streets of Manhattan at noon, waving Israeli flags and blue and white balloons. Some participants wore shirts with the slogan “I love Israel”.
Mamdani is a vocal critic of Israel.
However, the mayor was not one to have fun. “I said during the campaign that I would not attend the parade and I have made my views on the Israeli government very clear,” Mamdani said at a news conference on Thursday.
The first Muslim mayor of New York is known for his pro-Palestinian stance. He has accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza and systematically violating the rights of Palestinians. The Israeli government rejects the allegations.
Two weeks earlier, Mamdani’s office released a video commemorating the Nakba. The Arabic word “Nakba” means “catastrophe” and refers to the displacement of an estimated 700,000 Palestinians during the Arab–Israeli War that followed the establishment of Israel in 1948.
However, the mayor also condemned Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023, calling them “horrible war crimes” and stressed his commitment to equal rights for Israelis and Palestinians.
Mayor promises bigger police presence
Even though Mamdani boycotted the parade, he also promised a strong police presence to ensure that it was conducted “smoothly and peacefully”.
The parade was attended by the city’s Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, who is Jewish.
On Thursday, she stood with Mamdani at police headquarters and said, “It’s the mayor’s decision not to march and it’s my decision to march proudly.”
Criticism of Israeli politicians
Mamdani’s decision not to attend the parade was criticized by current and former Israeli officials.
Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, accused the mayor of “turning his back on thousands of Jews and Israel supporters” by not attending the march.
Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett described the boycott as “cowardly”. Saying that Mamdani’s absence “sends a message.”
“I would say to them: Leadership means performing for all New Yorkers, including Jews, who call this city home,” Bennett wrote on X.
Support for Israel among Americans has declined significantly in recent years amid outrage over Israeli military action in Gaza.
Edited by: Darko Janjevic
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