New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani declined to apologize Friday for his rhetoric regarding Israel, despite calls from Jewish leaders urging him to do so. The refusal came the day after a man wearing a kippah was stabbed on the Upper West Side during Tisha B'Av.
Mamdani recently released a video in which he acknowledged that he could not fulfill his campaign promise to have the Israeli prime minister arrested, while describing Benjamin Netanyahu as a "war criminal." When questioned by NY1 on Friday, Mamdani characterized his comments about Netanyahu as "critiques of a political leader not of people of a specific faith or a religion or a background."
He stated: "My responsibility as the mayor of this city is to keep every New Yorker safe, no matter where they come from, what they believe in or frankly, even if they agree with my politics."
Jewish leaders have asserted that the mayor's statements incite violence against Jews and that he selectively criticizes Israel. Antisemitism has risen in New York City since Mamdani took office, including a 182% increase reported in his first month.