Candidate Zohran Mamdani speaks during a Democratic New York City mayoral primary debate, June 4, 2025, in New York, US. Photo: Yuki Iwamura/Pool via REUTERS
New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani again defended his support for the boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel and his promise to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during an event at the B’nai Jeshurun synagogue in Manhattan on Sunday.
“I’ve seen the efficacy of non-violent movements in creating compliance in international law, specifically with South Africa. That is what brought me to support BDS, and what I’ve said is that one need not visit Israel to stand up for Jewish New Yorkers,” Mamdani said, referring to the international movement that seeks to isolate Israel from the international community as a step toward its eventual elimination.
Mandani said that he would prefer to combat antisemitism by engaging with New York City Jews on a personal basis and that expressing support for Israel is not necessary to be an ally of the Jewish community.
“Ultimately, the focus of our mayor should be on the issues of New York City, at hand,” he argued.
Mamdani then defended his vow to arrest Netanyahu if he visits New York, comparing the Israeli premier to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“My answer is the same whether we are speaking about Vladimir Putin or Netanyahu. I think that this should be a city that is in compliance with international law,” Mamdani said. “And we have seen, other countries across the world that are signatories of the ICC [International Criminal Court] that they would honor that same request, being Canada or other countries in Europe, and their honoring of it meant that Netanyahu did not travel there.”
Mamdani acknowledged that the United States is not a party to the Rome Statute, which established the ICC, but argued that “there are times where courage is required,” comparing his desire to arrest Netanyahu to California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s decision to defy federal law and issue marriage certificates to same-sex couples as mayor of San Francisco.
“What I am trying to showcase is a belief that international law is something that should be honored, should be respected, and something that we should actually bring our city into compliance with,” Mamdani said.
US and Israeli leaders have blasted the ICC’s decision to issue an arrest warrant for Netanyahu over alleged war crimes in Gaza, rejecting the allegations as false and decrying the court for drawing a moral equivalence between Israel’s democratically elected leaders and the heads of Hamas, the Palestinian terrorist group that launched the ongoing war in Gaza with its massacre across southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2o23.
Although Mamdani, a representative within the New York State Assembly, entered New York City’s mayoral race as a longshot, polls indicate that the progressive firebrand has made significant strides among the electorate in the past month. Mamdani trails former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo by a margin of 51 percent to 49 percent among likely voters, according to a May 23-26 Emerson College poll.
In the closing stretch of the Democratic primary, Mamdani’s views on Israel and antisemitism have been increasingly scrutinized. Mamdani, a member of the far-left Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) organization, has been under pressure by anti-Israel activists to adopt a more adversarial posture against the Jewish state.
Moreover, the progressive official also sparked outrage after engaging in a series of provocative actions, such as appearing on the podcast of anti-Israel, pro-Hamas influencer Hasan Piker and vowing to arrest Netanyahu.
During an event hosted by the UJA-Federation of New York last month, Mamdani also declined to recognize Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state.
“I believe that Israel has a right to exist with equal rights for all,” Mamdani said in a carefully worded response when asked, sidestepping the issue of Israel’s existence specifically as a “Jewish state.”
During last week’s New York City Democratic mayoral debate, he once again refused to acknowledge Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state, sparking immediate backlash among the other candidates.
Mamdani has made anti-Israel activism a cornerstone of his political career.
New York City, which is home to the largest Jewish population outside of Israel, has experienced a major spike in antisemitic incidents since Hamas’s invasion of southern Israel, amid the ensuing war in Gaza.
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Author: Corey Walker
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