Israeli minister urges Jews to flee 'Hamas supporter' Mamdani after New York mayoral win

An Israeli minister has called on Jewish Americans in New York to consider emigrating to Israel following the election of Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani as mayor.

Amichai Chikli, Israel’s minister for diaspora affairs, described Mamdani’s victory as “a critical turning point for the city of New York” that “shakes the very foundations of the place that offered freedom and opportunity to countless Jewish refugees”.

Chikli - who has previously voiced support for ethnic cleansing and occupation in southern Lebanon and for settlements in Gaza - labelled Mamdani a “Hamas supporter”.

He claimed that the 34-year-old Muslim politician’s views were “not far from those of the jihadist fanatics who, 25 years ago, murdered 3,000 of their own people,” referring to the 9/11 attacks.

“The Jews of New York to seriously consider making their new home in the Land of Israel,” he concluded.

Mamdani, an assemblyman from Queens, New York, won Tuesday’s mayoral election to become the city’s first Muslim mayor.

Alongside Chikli, several other Israeli officials expressed dismay at Mamdani’s win. 

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir described the result as “antisemitism’s triumph over common sense”.

Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, said they would not be deterred by what he called Mamdani’s “inflammatory remarks”.

Born in Uganda to an Indian-origin father and an Indian mother, Mamdani immigrated to the United States as a child. 

Once considered an outsider candidate, his victory in June’s Democratic primary positioned him as the frontrunner for the general election.

Running a left-wing campaign, Mamdani maintained an unapologetically pro-Palestinian stance throughout, as New York grappled with widespread protests against Israel’s war in Gaza.

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He has accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza and said he would arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu - in line with an International Criminal Court warrant - if he were to visit New York.

Mamdani later walked back that statement. 

Data shows Mamdani's stance on Israel and Palestine actually helped him seal the primary win, despite smears of antisemitism for his views on the war, which is now widely recognised as a genocide.

Throughout the campaign, he faced smears painting him as an antisemite, funded to the tune of $25m by a super PAC called "Fix the City". He has also faced Islamophobic abuse and death threats.

In his victory speech, Mamdani pledged to “build a city on a hill that stands steadfast alongside Jewish New Yorkers and does not waver in the fight against the scourge of antisemitism”. 

He also declared that New York would “no longer be a city where you can traffic in Islamophobia and win an election.”

Two days before the vote, Mamdani received the endorsement of prominent Orthodox Jewish community leader Rabbi Moishe Indig.