As an Ethiopian-Israeli and American, and as a former New York City public servant who spent more than two decades serving New Yorkers through the city’s court system, I understand the meaning of public service.
Government exists to protect its citizens, uphold the law, and improve the lives of the people who elected it. Every elected official takes office with a defined responsibility.
The mayor of New York City has one of the most demanding jobs in America, leading a city of more than eight million people and managing challenges that affect millions of lives every single day.
That is why I was deeply troubled by public statements indicating that New York City’s mayor would seek to act against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he were to visit the city.
Regardless of where one stands concerning Netanyahu or Israeli politics, this debate raises a much larger question about democratic leadership and political priorities.
New Yorkers did not elect a mayor to conduct foreign policy. They elected a mayor to govern New York.
This is not about Netanyahu. Israelis have every right to debate his leadership, criticize his government, or vote to replace him. Israel is a vibrant democracy where political disagreements are often intense. Those decisions belong to Israeli citizens through Israel’s democratic institutions.
The real issue is whether a mayor should devote political energy to symbolic international disputes while the city he governs continues to struggle with urgent local problems.
As someone who spent more than 20 years serving New Yorkers, I believe the answer is no.
New York City today faces enormous challenges. Public safety remains a major concern in many neighborhoods. Families struggle with the rising cost of housing. Small businesses continue recovering from years of economic uncertainty.
Mental illness and homelessness are visible across the city. The transit system requires continued investment. Schools continue to face difficult educational challenges. Every one of these issues falls squarely within the responsibilities of municipal leadership.
At the same time, New York has experienced a troubling rise in antisemitic incidents. Jewish schools, synagogues, and community institutions have increased security. Many Jewish New Yorkers feel less safe than they did only a few years ago.
Whether one is Jewish, Muslim, Christian, Black, Latino, Asian, immigrant, or native-born, every resident deserves a city government focused first on protecting its people and strengthening the communities they call home. That is the mayor’s responsibility.
Instead, American politics increasingly rewards symbolic gestures that dominate headlines but do little to solve practical problems. Social media, 24-hour news cycles, and ideological politics encourage elected officials to speak about global controversies while basic municipal responsibilities become secondary.
The importance of New York
As someone who has lived under different political systems in Ethiopia, Israel, and the United States, I have learned that democracy succeeds when leaders respect the proper role of their office.
Municipal governments exist to solve local problems. National governments conduct foreign policy. International institutions address international disputes.
Democracies function best when each institution understands its responsibilities and remains accountable to the citizens it serves. This principle becomes especially important when discussing Israel.
Supporting Israel does not require agreeing with every decision made by its government. Israelis themselves disagree passionately about security policy, judicial reform, diplomacy, and elections.
Vigorous debate is one of Israel’s greatest democratic strengths. But there is an important distinction between criticizing an allied government’s policies and allowing international political disputes to overshadow the responsibilities of local government.
New York occupies a unique place in the relationship between the United States and Israel. It is home to the largest Jewish community outside Israel, along with one of the world’s most diverse populations.
It is also a city where people from nearly every nation live side by side. That diversity should inspire municipal leaders to build trust across communities, reduce tensions, and ensure that every resident feels equally protected under the law.
The mayor’s office should be a force for civic unity, not another arena for international political confrontation.
I write these words not only as an American, but also as an Ethiopian-Israeli whose own community embodies the diversity of the Jewish people. Ethiopian Jews prayed for Jerusalem for centuries before many Western nations even recognized the modern State of Israel.
Our community understands both the importance of democracy and the importance of responsible leadership. We know that political disagreements must never eclipse the fundamental responsibility of government: serving its citizens faithfully.
As a former New York public servant, I also understand something else. Every hour devoted to symbolic politics is an hour not devoted to making neighborhoods safer, helping struggling families, improving public services, or restoring confidence in government.
Public trust is built through competence, not political theater.
America’s constitutional system wisely assigns different responsibilities to different levels of government. Municipal officials should focus on governing cities. Governors should govern states. The federal government is responsible for foreign affairs.
Respecting those distinctions is not a limitation on leadership; it is one of the strengths of American democracy.
The mayor of New York carries one of the most important public offices in America. It deserves a leader fully committed to solving New York’s problems before attempting to influence the politics of another democracy.
New Yorkers elected a mayor to govern their city. They did not elect a mayor to conduct foreign policy. That distinction is not merely procedural. It is essential to good government.
The writer is a former New York City Supreme Court detective, an investigator and educator in conflict resolution and restorative peace, and a moral diplomacy expert. His upcoming book, Moral Diplomacy for a Broken World, is inspired by the late Rabbi Jonathan Sacks.