October 9, 2026
New York Mayor Zahran Mamdani finds himself caught in the middle of a double political storm. His way of commemorating the third anniversary of the October 7 attack aroused the anger of Jewish leaders, at a time when he was subjected to a sharp attack from pro-Palestinian activists who described him as a “traitor,” stressing at the same time his refusal to back down from his positions or feel remorse.
According to a report by journalist Eli Leon in the Israeli newspaper “Maariv”, citing the “New York Times”, Mamdani explained on Thursday evening that he saw no reason to regret the way he commemorated the anniversary, despite the fact that the occasion had turned into one of the most tense stages of his term. During a press conference held in Brooklyn, he expressed complete confidence in his approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, refusing to retract his statement, which angered leaders in the Jewish community who considered him biased toward the war in Gaza at the expense of the dead and kidnapped Israelis.
Mamdani stressed the importance of mourning all the victims in light of the continuing crisis, explaining that his goal was to address “the tragedy that destroyed the lives of New Yorkers 3 years ago, and continues to do so today.” In this context, Mamdani considered that what Hamas did on October 7, 2023 constitutes “war crimes,” adding that Israel exploited the attack to justify an ongoing military campaign in the Gaza Strip that resulted in the killing of more than 74,000 Palestinians, considering that these operations amount to “genocide.”
The mayor did not express any remorse for his participation in a memorial gathering organized by the “Israelis for Peace” group to honor the victims of both sides, which witnessed disruption from pro-Palestinian activists who booed him and called him a “traitor.” The New York Times, which pointed out that Mamdani – who took office in January as the first Muslim mayor of New York – is struggling to balance his electoral promises with the reality of his position, pointed out that this public attack from supporters of the Palestinians, simply because he acknowledged the pain of Israelis and Jews, is an unusual development.
It is noteworthy that Mamdani, known for his pro-Palestinian stances, had previously faced accumulated pressure. During his campaign, he pledged to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he visited the city, before admitting last July that he had no legal authority to do so, which angered Jewish leaders. Tensions also escalated recently following his office’s release of a report to combat anti-Semitism, which angered a sector of his allies on the left – due to the allocation of funding to a pro-Israel Jewish community group – and they accused him of submitting to a “Zionist agenda.”
Thus, Mamdani faces a very complex political equation, oscillating between Jewish anger over his speech on October 7 and Gaza, and the attacks of Palestinian activists who reject an alleged retreat from his previous promises, while he insists on continuing his political approach without apology or change.
