Israel criticizes invitation to NYC Mayor Mamdani for Israel Day Parade

Israeli Consul General in New York Ofir Akunis on Wednesday opposed a decision by World Zionist Organization Chairman Yaakov Hagoel to invite New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani to the annual Israel Day Parade, arguing that the WZO has “no authority” to extend such an invitation to the city’s mayor.

"The Israeli Consul of New York will lead Israel's march at the end of May," Akunis announced. "And in it will march ministers, Knesset members, mayors, and other guests whom the consul will invite. Mr. Hagoel is invited to march with us, as in every year, as a guest, and not to invite others who don't acknowledge Israel's existence as a Jewish state."

Last year’s Israel Parade attracted 50,000 people.

Hagoel extended his invitation to Mamdani, New York’s first Muslim mayor who has openly supported boycotting Israel, at the Besheva Group's Jerusalem Conference on Tuesday.

"Tens of thousands of Jews march there every year," Hagoel stated in an interview with the group’s chairman, Dudu Saada. 

"I am calling for him [Mamdani] to come and march at my side, and at the side of tens of thousands of Jews, for the nation and the country of Israel," he urged.

The WZO chairman also revealed that he had been in contact with Mamdani last month. 

"I wrote to him on International Holocaust Memorial Day," Hagoel recalled. "'Mr. Mayor, you are mistaken. The first two decisions you made when you entered office were not to prevent protests outside of synagogues, and reverting the definition of antisemitic behavior away from the IHRA's definition."

When Mamdani assumed office in January, he decided to revoke the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Working Definition of Antisemitism, which includes demonization of Israel and the Jewish state’s right to exist. 

Multiple Jewish groups and Israel criticized Mamdani’s controversial decision. 

“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. This isn’t leadership. It’s antisemitic gasoline on an open fire,” the Israeli Foreign Ministry stated at the time.

The WZO head clarified his position in an indirect response to the Israeli consul on Wednesday.  

“My call as the head of the World Zionist Movement to New York Mayor Mamdani is not symbolic; it is a demand for action. When he abolishes the protection of Jews and removes his commitment to international definitions of antisemitism, he cannot be content with words. We will not remain silent in the face of slogans. If Mamdani is indeed committed to the security of the Jewish community, I expect him to prove it with a public act of marching with us. We are strong, we will not lower our heads, and we will insist that actions speak for themselves," Hagoel concluded. 

Mamdani has repeatedly accused Israel of “genocide” in Gaza, making the charge just weeks after the Hamas Oct. 7, 2023, massacre and before Israel launched its ground operation in the Strip. During his election campaign, he also said that as mayor, he would seek to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he arrived in New York. Legal commentators, however, have noted that a New York City mayor lacks the authority to arrest foreign leaders on U.S. soil.

By contrast, New York’s former pro-Israel mayor Eric Adams praised Netanyahu for defending Western values during his UN speech last September. 

“I was particularly proud to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after his address to the United Nations, to thank him for defending the Western world and our way of life,” Adams said.