NYC Mayor Mamdani Skips Israel Parade, Pledging Robust Police Presence for 1 Event
Updated
Updated · The Associated Press · May 31
NYC Mayor Mamdani Skips Israel Parade, Pledging Robust Police Presence for 1 Event
15 articles · Updated · The Associated Press · May 31
Zohran Mamdani said he will not attend Sunday’s annual Israel parade on Fifth Avenue, breaking a decades-long tradition for New York City mayors.
Campaign promises and his pro-Palestinian stance drove the decision; Mamdani said he has made his criticism of the Israeli government clear while vowing the event will be secured “seamlessly and peacefully.”
Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said she will march instead, underscoring the administration’s effort to separate the mayor’s political position from the city’s security role.
The absence has intensified backlash from some Jewish leaders, who also condemned a recent City Hall Nakba video about the estimated 700,000 Palestinians displaced in 1948.
The dispute highlights a broader shift in U.S. politics as support for Israel has eroded during the Gaza war, even in New York, home to the nation’s largest Jewish population.
With a mayor absent for the first time since 1964, can NYC's Israel Day Parade unite or further divide the city?
A mayor's boycott breaks a 62-year tradition. Is this a new era for political expression or an abandonment of mayoral duty?