Israeli Minister to NYC Jews: ‘Your mayor backs Hamas, return to Israel’

Israel’s Minister of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism, Amichai Chikli, has launched a scathing attack on New York’s mayor-elect, Zohran Mamdani, describing him as a “Hamas supporter” and urging Jewish residents of the city to relocate to Israel following his election victory.

Chikli made the remarks on X (formerly Twitter), saying:

“The city that once stood as a symbol of global freedom has handed over its keys to a Hamas supporter.”

He went further to claim that Mamdani’s political stance was “not far from those of the jihadist fanatics who, 25 years ago, murdered three thousand of its own people,” a reference to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Mamdani, 34, who will become New York’s first Muslim mayor when he assumes office in January, ran on a platform of affordability and inclusion. He has publicly spoken out against antisemitism and Islamophobia, both of which he says he has personally experienced.

A vocal supporter of the Palestinian cause, Mamdani has previously described Israel as an “apartheid regime” and called the ongoing war in Gaza “genocide.” His comments have sparked outrage in sections of the Jewish community and drawn sharp criticism from pro-Israel figures.

Chikli, in his post, warned that “New York will never be the same again, especially not for its Jewish community,” claiming the city was “walking, eyes open, into the abyss into which London has already plunged.”

He ended his post by urging Jews in New York to “seriously consider making their new home in the Land of Israel.”

Mamdani’s election victory came despite fierce opposition from business leaders, conservative commentators, and former U.S. President Donald Trump, who had accused him during the campaign of being a “Jew hater.”