A statement by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani that recognized three years since Hamas' "horrific" attack on Israel — and extensively criticized Israel's "ongoing genocide" in the Gaza Strip — has drawn fury from some Democrats.
Mamdani is a longstanding and vehement critic of Israel's actions during its war with Hamas in Gaza, and an opponent of U.S. aid to Israel — issues that have divided Democrats nationwide and drawn criticism for the mayor from moderates, leaders of Jewish groups and Israeli officials. Mamdani has long defended his stance, saying criticism of Israel is distinct from antisemitism.
Wednesday's statement by Mamdani began by calling it a "profoundly painful" day for many New Yorkers, noting Hamas' "horrific war crimes" on Oct. 7, 2023, including the killing of about 1,200 people in Israel and the taking of more than 250 hostages. He added: "We grieve alongside our many friends and neighbors who still carry that unthinkable loss."
The mayor then shifted to criticizing Israel for its "devastating, ongoing genocide in Gaza" — noting the more than 74,000 deaths recorded in the enclave, according to the Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry.
"Many New Yorkers are reckoning with this unbearable grief, and we mourn alongside them — all while knowing that our tax dollars fund these war crimes," Mamdani said.
"Three years later, we must refuse to accept a world in which occupation and apartheid continue, where war crimes are met with impunity, and our federal government continues its complicity with every arms shipment," Mamdani added.
Several Democratic elected officials blasted Mamdani's statement, arguing it was too focused on Israel rather than Hamas.
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida accused Mamdani of "desecrating the memory of murdered, innocent Jews," Rep. Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey said the mayor was "blam[ing] the victims" of the Oct. 7 attack, and Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop called the statement "inappropriate and unnecessarily inflammatory."
Rep. Richie Torres, a Democrat who represents the Bronx, penned an X post that did not name Mamdani, but said: "Perhaps, for just one day—October 7th—the critics of Israel could take a vacation from their hysterical hatred of the world's only Jewish State and find it within themselves to express condolences for the thousands of Israelis murdered, maimed, mutilated, raped, and abducted at the hands of Hamas."
Rep. Daniel Goldman — who lost a Democratic primary in his Manhattan and Brooklyn district to Mamdani-endorsed Brad Lander earlier this year — called the mayor's message "reprehensible."
"In the guise of 'grieving' with those mourning that day, Mayor Mamdani asserts as fact hotly disputed allegations that he knows full well will offend and further upset those same people he pretends to grieve with," Goldman wrote on X.
Lander, the Democratic nominee in Goldman's deep-blue district, wrote a statement of his own on Tuesday that condemned Hamas but argued against the "flattening of empathy."
"We can mourn for those lost on October 7th and still acknowledge the enormous imbalance of power between Israel and the Palestinians," Lander wrote in a post on Substack.
Mamdani also faced pushback from the Anti-Defamation League, whose CEO, Jonathan Greenblatt, is a frequent critic of the mayor. Greenblatt wrote on social media that in Mamdani's statement, "not once do you say 'Jews.'"
"You are weaponizing a day meant for mourning the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust to recycle your usual antizionist talking points," Greenblatt wrote.
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee called Mamdani's statement an "outrageous & disgusting rant," while Ofir Akunis, Israeli consul general in New York, called it a "disgrace, shame, and insult to the memory of those who were murdered."
CBS News has reached out to Mamdani's office.
Mamdani's stance on Israel has drawn intense scrutiny — and applause from his allies — since he began his unexpected ascent to the mayor's office.
Ahead of the 2025 Democratic mayoral primary, Mamdani vowed that if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited New York City, he would seek Netanyahu's arrest on an International Criminal Court warrant accusing him of war crimes.
Over the summer, Mamdani conceded that the city did not have the power to execute the warrant. The U.S. is not a party to the global treaty that created the ICC and generally does not recognize its authority. Israel has called the war crimes allegations "absurd and false."
When Netanyahu visited the city last month to address the United Nations General Assembly, he accused Mamdani of antisemitism and said "many Jews no longer feel safe in New York."
"Shame on you for distorting the facts, shame on you for inverting victim and aggressor, shame on you for spitting in the face of truth," Netanyahu said.
Mamdani has long rejected allegations that his strong criticisms of Israel have fueled antisemitism, and says the city "has no room for hate or bigotry of any kind."
Last month, Mamdani unveiled a plan to combat antisemitism, including a dedicated antisemitism hotline and funding to upgrade security at synagogues.
Asked by CBS News New York about the criticism he has faced and whether he believes he should dial back his statements, Mamdani said last month: "I think criticism of a prime minister, criticism of government policy is distinct from bigotry of a people. … And what my job is to ensure is not only that we are proud of being the most Jewish city in the United States of America, but that we also make this a city where Jewish life can continue to flourish."
