Naftali Bennett brands Mamdani 'cowardly' over Israel Day Parade snub

Mamdani confirmed last week that he would not attend the procession which celebrates Israel's 1948 birth, making him the first New York mayor to be absent from it since 1964.

Writing on X, Bennett said: “At a time when Jews are being harassed, attacked in the streets, and told to hide or apologise for who they are, choosing to march is an act of courage. It is a declaration that Jews will not be intimidated and that the Jewish state will not disappear because others wish it would.

“The mayor of New York City has cowardly chosen not to attend, and that sends a message. To him, I would say: leadership means showing up for all New Yorkers, including the Jews who call this city home.”

Mamdani is a outspoke critic of Israel and was open about his pro-Palestine views during his mayoral campaign last year.

This has led to tension with the city’s Jewish community, especially after he revoked City Hall’s adoption of the IHRA definition of antisemitism on his first day in office. Critics of the definition argue that it suppresses legitimate criticism of Israel.

And he also distanced City Hall from his wife’s reported social media history after it was alleged that she liked Instagram posts appearing to praise October 7.

According to Jewish Insider, Rama Duwaji, a Syrian-American artist born in Texas who married Mamdani in 2025, liked several Instagram posts that appeared to praise or justify the Hamas attack.

“My wife is the love of my life, and she’s also a private person who has held no formal position on my campaign or in my City Hall,” Mamdani said when asked about the posts.

And a City Hall spokesperson added: “Mayor Mamdani has been clear and consistent: Hamas is a terrorist organisation, October 7 was a horrific war crime, and he has condemned that violence unequivocally.”

This story originally appeared in the JC Israel Briefing. You can sign up to receive the briefing daily here.