Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should be trembling at the decisive victory achieved by Zohran Mamdani in the New York City mayoral election on 4 November. This is not because of the baseless allegations of antisemitism levelled against him, but because Mamdani broke the long-standing taboos that winning candidates in New York have traditionally upheld by refraining from criticising the Israeli government. He strengthened this approach in the month following his election.
New York hosts the largest Jewish community in the United States, and the second-largest in the world after Tel Aviv. It has long been assumed that many Jewish voters place the defence of the Israeli government above all other issues, and that criticising Israel would alienate them from any politician.
But Mamdani demolished this assumption. Throughout his campaign, he spoke with clarity and precision about the genocide committed by Israel in Gaza. He insisted that all residents of Israel must enjoy equal rights, and said he would arrest Netanyahu if he appeared in New York. Despite this, one-third of New York’s Jewish voters supported him, along with many others.
Some Jewish voters may have been uncomfortable with Mamdani’s criticism of Israel, but they appreciated other aspects of his campaign, such as his consistent focus on affordability and cost of living. Others – including the author – were drawn to his candour on an issue as vital as Israel. Many were also repulsed by the efforts of his main rival, Andrew Cuomo, to smear him with unfounded accusations of antisemitism.
Mamdani continued his frankness about Israel after his election. In his cordial meeting with Donald Trump at the White House on 21 November, Mamdani reiterated his stance on the genocide and noted that the US government is funding it. Trump ignored the comment.
After a major Manhattan synagogue hosted a group encouraging American Jews to migrate not only to Israel – a common practice – but also to Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, Mamdani pointed to the illegality of these settlements. His remarks accurately reflected Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which prohibits an occupying power from transferring its population into occupied territory.
The strangeness of such statements coming from a winning candidate in New York cannot be overstated.
This is not to say that New York candidates never criticise Israel. In March 2024, Chuck Schumer, the Senate minority leader, a Brooklyn-born Jew who represents New York, delivered a widely discussed speech stating that Israel has the right to defend itself, but must do so while minimising harm to Palestinian civilians in Gaza. Yet even his language was extremely cautious – pale compared to Mamdani’s – and he refused to endorse Mamdani even after the latter won the Democratic primary for mayor.
Mamdani has already begun attracting other progressive candidates into New York’s congressional races, candidates willing to criticise Israel and challenge those who refuse to do so. By all indications, he has broken the deadlock and initiated a new trend.
New York is not the United States as a whole. It is a deeply Democratic and exceptionally progressive city. More importantly, personal experience as a former resident indicates that a substantial portion of its Jewish population leans progressive. During travels across the United States, one often finds that smaller Jewish communities see themselves as vulnerable minorities and therefore tend to support Israel as a potential refuge from persecution. But in New York, Judaism is woven into the fabric of the city, and the sense of security that comes with being Jewish there makes its community more open to frank criticism of the Israeli government.
The political shift represented by Mamdani’s victory on the issue of Israel should serve as a wake-up call for Netanyahu’s government. Its genocidal campaign in Gaza has rendered Israel a pariah state across most of the world. Even Germany has temporarily suspended the sale of weapons that could be used in Gaza, while the United Kingdom, Canada, France, and Australia have recognised a Palestinian state. Israel faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice, and Netanyahu and his former defence minister face charges at the International Criminal Court for starving Palestinian civilians and depriving them of essential needs. Israel today relies overwhelmingly on military aid, weapons sales, and diplomatic support from a single state: the United States.
Trump is fully aware of this. As someone attuned to polling, he cannot fail to notice that AIPAC, the pro-Israel lobby, can no longer mobilise Jewish votes as it once did. He also sees that his base of evangelical Christians – traditionally the most unwavering supporters of Israel – has become more reserved following the atrocities Israel has committed in Gaza.
The decline in Israel’s popularity in the United States helped Trump impose his 20-point peace plan on Netanyahu, despite its failure to meet Netanyahu’s extremist demands. Israel’s declining standing will certainly play a role again when Trump decides whether to insist on a clear pathway toward a Palestinian state, something Arab leaders want. Trump will rely on them to fund Gaza’s reconstruction and provide an international force to stabilise the region.
The fact that supporting Israel is no longer a given in New York may signal that it is no longer obligatory in Washington either. This is good news for Palestinians, but bad news for Netanyahu and his far-right allies who hoped the US government would continue to turn a blind eye as the Israeli government seeks to “resolve” the Palestinian question through genocide, mass forced displacement, and the imposition of a permanent apartheid system.
