Israel accuses New York mayor of antisemitism

One of Zohran Mamdani’s first decisions in office scrapped rules preventing city institutions boycotting Israeli firms

The Israeli Foreign Ministry has accused recently sworn-in New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani of stoking antisemitism with his very first executive order.

Shortly after being sworn in on Thursday, the staunchly democratic socialist and pro-Palestinian Muslim Mamdani, a political newcomer, revoked a broad swathe of his predecessor Eric Adams’ executive orders.

The annulments included orders preventing city institutions from divesting from Israel and that accepted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism.

“On his very first day as NYC Mayor, Mamdani shows his true face: He scraps the IHRA definition of antisemitism and lifts restrictions on boycotting Israel,” the Israeli Foreign Ministry said on X on Friday. “This isn’t leadership. It’s antisemitic gasoline on an open fire.”

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Jewish groups have also condemned the move in a joint statement.

However, the New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the largest US Muslim rights and advocacy group, welcomed the move. It argued that the “controversial and overly broad” IHRA definition of antisemitism has been used to censor criticism of the Israeli government.

It contended that Adams’ executive order against the Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement “also unconstitutionally limited boycotts against only Israel.”

Mamdani has defended his decision, stating his commitment to protecting Jewish New Yorkers from hate crimes.

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The new administration “will be relentless in its efforts to combat hate and division, and we will showcase that by fighting hate across the city,” he said in a press briefing on Friday.