“On his very first day as New York City Mayor Mamdani shows his true face: He scraps the IHRA definition of antisemitism and lifts restrictions on boycotting Israel. This isn’t leadership. It’s antisemitic gasoline on an open fire,” Israel’s foreign ministry said in a post.
Mamdani became mayor just after midnight on New Year’s Eve, beginning a term that Democrats hope will energize the party ahead of the 2026 midterms. The 34-year-old democratic socialist campaigned on an ambitious but costly agenda, including universal free childcare and free buses, financed in part by higher taxes on corporations and the wealthy.
Friday’s public rebuke from Israel’s government adds an international dimension to a controversy already unfolding at home. On Thursday, Jewish civil rights groups criticized the removal of posts related to combating antisemitism from the official @NYCMayor X account shortly after Mamdani assumed office, warning that the move risked sending the wrong signal at a particularly sensitive moment.
Mamdani has repeatedly rejected accusations of antisemitism, arguing his criticism of Israel is rooted in human rights concerns. He has pledged to protect New York’s Jewish community, while maintaining his outspoken views on Middle East policy.
That solidarity with New York’s Jewish community was repeated in his swearing-in ceremony, where celebrated the city’s diversity by quipping: “Where else could a Muslim kid like me grow up eating bagels and lox every Sunday?”
Mamdani does, however, support bond disinvestment to pressure Israel, and says he does not 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 outcome as “deeply concerning,” pointing to Mamdani’s past activism and rhetoric.
Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu slammed Mamdani’s Jewish supporters, accusing them of having “raised their hands in support of antisemitism in the heart of America.”