New York Mayor Mamdani boycotts Israel Day Parade, drawing criticism

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has broken with decades of tradition by boycotting the annual Israel Day Parade, sparking criticism from various figures, including Israel's UN Ambassador Danny Danon and former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett.

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I have already said during the election campaign that I will not participate in the parade. And I have made my views on the Israeli government very clear.

Mamdani, the city's first mayor in decades to skip the parade, stated he had made his decision clear during his campaign. "I have already said during the election campaign that I will not participate in the parade. And I have made my views on the Israeli government very clear," the 34-year-old progressive Democrat said at a press conference.

Critics condemned his absence. Danny Danon stated, "Leadership means being there for all New Yorkers, including the Jews who call this city home." Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett echoed this sentiment on social media, calling Mamdani's decision "cowardly" and emphasizing that the parade celebrates Israel as the "homeland of the Jewish people, the only Jewish state in the world, and a source of pride, refuge, and belonging for millions of Jews."

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Leadership means being there for all New Yorkers, including the Jews who call this city home.

Thousands marched with Israeli flags and pro-Israel messages along Fifth Avenue. New York City is home to approximately one million Jewish residents, the largest Jewish urban population outside of Israel. The parade, officially known as "Israel Day on Fifth," has been held annually since 1964.

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cowardly

Mamdani, who is Muslim, is a prominent pro-Palestinian politician. He accuses Israel of systematically violating Palestinian rights, speaks of apartheid, and calls Israel's actions in Gaza "genocide." He condemned Hamas's October 7, 2023, attack as an "atrocious war crime" and advocates for equal rights for Israelis and Palestinians.

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The parade celebrates not the Israeli government, but Israel as the homeland of the Jewish people, the only Jewish state in the world, and a source of pride, refuge, and belonging for millions of Jews.