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Palestinian rights advocates congratulate New York mayor Zohran Mamdani for revoking pro-Israeli municipal decrees hours after his inauguration, a decision that was quickly condemned by the Israeli government.
On Thursday, his first day in office, Mamdani erased all executive orders that his predecessor, Eric Adams, had implemented after September 26, 2024, the day Adams was indicted for corruption.
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One of the orders limited the boycott of Israel and prohibited mayor appointees from issuing contracts that were “discriminatory against the State of Israel, Israeli citizens, or those associated” with the U.S. ally.
The deal was signed by Adams less than a month ago and was seen by critics as an attempt to create controversy within the new Mamdani administration.
Another decree, now rescinded, adopted a controversial definition of anti-Semitism from the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), which advocates say can be used to censor and penalize speech critical of Israel.
Nasreen Issa, member of the Palestinian youth movement – New York, said Israel and its supporters have long pushed for the “criminalization of dissent.”
“So, Mamdani’s rejection is a positive step toward protecting the rights of New Yorkers and the dignity of Palestinians,” Issa told Al Jazeera.
Afaf Nasher, head of the New York section of Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), also praised Mamdani for revoking an “unconstitutional order restricting the ability of New Yorkers to criticize the Israeli government’s racism or boycott human rights violations committed by Israel.”
“This unconstitutional attack by Israel first on freedom of expression should never have been launched in the first place,” Nasher said in a statement.
Nasher further criticized the IHRA definition, saying the “overly broad” guidelines characterize disagreement with Zionism as anti-Semitic.
“This order would also have unconstitutionally limited boycotts against Israel only,” Nasher said.
Supporters of Palestinian rights have long rejected The definition of Ihrawhich focuses heavily on Israel. The definition provides 11 examples of anti-Semitism, six of which involve Israel.
They include “the assertion that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavour” and “the application of double standards” to Israel.
“I think it’s wonderful that Mayor Mamdani took action on day one to strengthen our rights to free speech, which includes our right to criticize and oppose apartheid and Israeli genocide,” said YL Al-Sheikh, a Palestinian-American writer active in the Democratic Socialists of America.
“The IHRA, implemented as government policy, is not intended to combat anti-Semitism but to stifle dissent, something all Americans should oppose.”
Israel intervenes
The Israeli Foreign Ministry denounced Mamdani’s moves on Friday, saying the newly inaugurated mayor is showing “his true face.”
“This is not leadership. This is anti-Semitic gasoline on an open fire,” he said in a post on the X social media platform.
Separately, Amichai Chikli, Israel’s Minister of Diaspora Affairs, used Islamophobic language to criticize Mamdani’s decision.
He called the mayor a “Hamas sympathizer” and linked him to the Muslim mayor of London, Sadiq Khan.
“When an Islamist from the Muslim Brotherhood whose slogan is ‘Globalize the Intifada’ takes over New York or London, these are exactly the decisions you get,” Chikli wrote on X.
Neither Mamdani nor Khan have any known ties to the Muslim Brotherhood.
Issa said Israel’s intense response is not about the mayor’s political decisions but rather aims to control the discourse.
“Israel’s main approach – at the highest level, at the Foreign Ministry level – has been to push for the criminalization of protected speech through these distorted definitions of anti-Semitism like the IHRA,” she said.
“Since they lose in the court of public opinionthe answer now is to push for the criminalization of dissent.
Issa also called Chikli’s attack on Mamdani “blatant Islamophobia, racism and misinformation.”
“They are trying to promote these accusations which have no basis in reality,” Issa told Al Jazeera.
“But from their point of view, any support for the Palestinians, any opposition to the Israeli genocide or the conduct of its army – whether in Gaza or in the West Bank, over the last two years, over the last decades – none of that is acceptable. »
Al-Sheikh said it was “absurd” that Israel was trying to impose its local policy preferences on New York.
“Even Americans who are neither Palestinian nor pro-Palestinian can see that this is strange and hinders our rights,” Al-Sheikh said.
“It’s also strangely counterproductive on Israel’s part since it only makes Mamdani look better. A single policy document that said you can’t criticize a country was repealed and now they claim it’s the end of the world, but ‘you should be allowed to criticize any country you want’ is the universal American position.’
Israel, however, was not alone in denouncing Mamdani’s actions. President Donald Trump’s administration also issued a warning to the Mamdani administration.
Harmeet Dhillon, assistant attorney general for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, said her office would be vigilant “for ALL violations of religious liberties.” in New York.
“We will investigate, prosecute and charge if necessary,” Dhillon wrote in a social media post.
Palestine solidarity activists often emphasize that criticizing Israeli abuses should not be confused with an attack on Judaism.
The rise of Mamdani
Mamdani has sharply criticized Israeli policies against the Palestinians, sparking accusations of anti-Semitism from Israel’s supporters.
But he repeatedly promised to protect Jewish residents. At his inauguration ceremony, he pledged to maintain the Mayor’s Office to Combat Anti-Semitism (MOCA), an Adams-era development, and he told reporters that his administration would “celebrate and cherish” New York’s Jews.
The new mayor, 34, was sworn in during a copy of the Quran at the turn of the new year, becoming the first Muslim mayor of the largest city in the United States.
The democratic socialist, who previously served as a state lawmaker, had little name recognition when he first announced his candidacy in late 2024.
But he gradually expanded his base of support with a message focused on affordability and housing.
Last June, he defeated former Governor Andrew Cuomo to win the Democratic nomination, in one of the most stunning political upsets in recent US history.
Mamdani then beat Cuomo again in the November general election, after the ex-governor relaunched his campaign as an independent with Trump’s support.
Adams was elected as a Democrat in 2021, but his administration faced numerous scandals during his four-year term, including accusations that Adams entered into a quid pro quo deal with Turkish government officials.
Earlier in 2024, Trump’s Justice Department dropped federal corruption charges he faced. Adams had launched a re-election campaign as an independent, but ultimately suspended his candidacy and supported Cuomo before the election.
Although Mamdani’s program focused largely on local issues, some of his supporters having argued that his vocal support for Palestinian rights helped propel his campaign amid growing anger over Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza.
