'Mamdani shows his true face': Israel accuses New York Mayor of antisemitism after IHRA policy rollback

Israel on Friday (Jan 2) accused New York City’s new mayor, Zohran Mamdani, of "antisemitism" after he moved swiftly to undo two executive orders issued by his predecessor that restricted city agencies from boycotting Israel and expanded how antisemitism was defined. In a sharply worded post on X on Friday, Israel’s foreign ministry said Mamdani had shown his "true face" on his first day in office by scrapping the use of the IHRA definition of antisemitism and lifting limits on boycotts of Israel.

Mamdani's 'true face'?

On X, the Israeli foreign ministry said that Zohran Mamdani's move wasn't "leadership" but "antisemitic gasoline on an open fire."

Mamdani signed the orders just hours after being sworn in at City Hall on Thursday, reversing directives put in place by former mayor Eric Adams. Those directives had discouraged city agencies from engaging in boycotts of Israel and treated certain criticism of the Israeli state as antisemitic.

"On his very first day as New York City Mayor, Mamdani shows his true face: He scraps the IHRA definition of antisemitism and lifts restrictions on boycotting Israel. This isn't leadership. It's antisemitic gasoline on an open fire," the Israeli Foreign Ministry wrote on X.

Mamdani claps back

Speaking to reporters on Friday, Mamdani defended his decision, saying it reflected concerns raised by a range of Jewish groups in New York. He also noted that incoming mayors are routinely given the choice to keep, amend, or revoke existing executive orders. "What we will do is actually deliver on our commitment to protect Jewish New Yorkers in a manner that is able to actually fulfil that," Mamdani said.