Numerous Israeli government ministers have slammed the election of Zohran Mamdani as the first Muslim mayor of New York City and are calling on the city’s Jews to immigrate to Israel.
Following the historic victory of Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani, the 34-year-old Muslim socialist has made history in American politics as the first ever Muslim mayor of the city.
However, his victory and overall campaign has not come without profound criticism and targeted Islamophobia, as Israeli officials are now urging the city’s Jews to immigrate to Israel due to the election of a “Hamas supporter”.
“The city, which used to be the symbol of world freedom, handed over its keys to a Hamas supporter,” Israel’s Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli said on X on Wednesday.
Mamdani’s win was described by Chikli, who is a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud Party, as a “critical turning point for New York”.
New York has historically had a large Jewish population, which Chikli described as “a place that became the stronghold of the largest Jewish community in the world outside Israel” since the 19th century.
“I invite the Jews of New York to consider positively determining their new place in the land of Israel,” he said.
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Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir also called Mamdani a “Hamas supporter, a hater of Israel and an avowed anti-Semite” following his election.
Israeli Ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, also lashed out at Mamdani:
“Mamdani’s inflammatory remarks will not deter us,” he said, as he also claimed in a radio interview that Mamdani’s election would harm the “Jewish community’s sense of security”.
Mamdani and his pro-Palestine politics
The criticism of Mamdani from Israeli state officials has come after the newly elected mayor championed a staunch pro-Palestine position throughout his run-up to the elections, one of his most attractive stances for his voter base.
Prior to the elections, Mamdani pledged to arrest Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu if he visits the city, honouring the warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Despite this, Mamdani’s campaign also heavily relied on building a support base from Jewish communities whose views aligned with his, namely the Orthodox Jewish community.
He has also condemned anti-Semitism multiple times as he vowed to protect and support the Jewish community.
“I’ve said it at every opportunity that there is no room for anti-Semitism in this city, in this country. I’ve said that because that is something I personally believe.”
Just two days before the elections, Mamdani earned the endorsement of Rabbi Moshe Indig, a prominent Orthodox Jewish community leader from the Satmar Hasidic community.
Rabbi Indig was pictured shaking hands with Mamdani and giving him an endorsement of support at a meeting in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
Mamdani won with over 50% of the vote in the three-way contest, and he enjoyed the support of a broad and diverse base of voters, including Jews who reject Netanyahu’s government and stand against Zionism and the genocide in Gaza.
