Israeli politicians on both sides of the political spectrum voiced strong concern regarding Zohran Mamdani’s win in the New York City mayoral election on Wednesday.
Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel told The Jerusalem Post that Mamdani’s election “is deeply concerning given his history of anti-Israel and anti-Jewish rhetoric. New York’s Jewish community deserves leaders who protect them, not target them.”
“Israel stands with our brothers and sisters in New York and will continue working with community leaders to ensure their safety and dignity,” she added.
Other politicians referred to Mamdani as a Hamas and terror supporter.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said Mamdani’s election as mayor “will be remembered forever in infamy as how antisemitism triumphed over common sense.”
“Mamdani is a supporter of Hamas, a hater of Israel, and an avowed antisemite,” he said.
“Like the Jews of New York, I am worried by this change, but at the same time, I am confident in the righteousness of the path that we, as a state, have chosen in continuing the elimination of Hamas in Gaza despite Mamdani’s false claims that we are committing ‘genocide.’ We will continue to fight all our enemies with all our might and will not heed Israel’s haters,” he added.
Yisrael Beytenu chairperson Avigdor Liberman decried the appointment, saying that “the Big Apple has fallen.”
'New York has chosen as its mayor a racist, populist, and openly Shiite Islamist'
“Just three decades after the 9/11 attacks, New York has chosen as its mayor a racist, populist, and openly Shi’ite Islamist. Mamdani is the poster boy of the ‘silent jihad.’”
“A man who supported Hamas, attacked Israel, and blamed the West for all the world’s troubles has been elected mayor of New York City,” Liberman said.
He added that the election was “a resounding wake-up call to the Jews of New York” to make aliyah and to “immigrate to the place where they belong: The Land of Israel. That is their home.”
MK Gilad Kariv (the Democrats), who chairs the Knesset’s Committee for Immigration, Absorption and Diaspora Affairs, said that Israel must stand by the Jewish community in New York to support its interests and combat antisemitism in the city.
According to Kariv, “The Jewish community in New York is a strong, diverse community, rich in wisdom and talent. I have no doubt that the leaders, organizations, and communities in New York will know how to navigate the new reality.”
Kariv called for Israel and the Jewish community in North America to “firmly oppose any attempt to delegitimize the Jewish people’s right to a national home and to self-determination.”
He also noted that Israel should still “nurture its relationship with both American parties, even when challenges and obstacles arise.”
MK Ohad Tal (Religious Zionist Party), who chairs the Knesset Israel-US Relations Caucus, said that “New York City has chosen an Islamist, antisemitic, and communist leader.”
“The progressive woke forces have won,” Tal added.
“The Jews of America will know that the State of Israel always stands by them and that its gates are open to them,” he said.
Members of the secular Arab party, Hadash-Ta’al, welcomed Mamdani’s election win. MK Ofer Cassif called it “a day of great hope for everyone in the world, not only in New York.”