"Antisemitic gasoline on an open fire": Israel slams Mamdani over revoked orders

Tel Aviv [Israel], January 3 : The Israeli government on Friday accused New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani of "antisemitism" after he revoked two executive orders issued by the previous mayor that restricted city agencies from boycotting Israel and treated certain criticism of Israel as antisemitic.

"On his very first day as New York City Mayor, Mamdani shows his true face: He scraps the IHRA definition of antisemitism and lifts restrictions on boycotting Israel. This isn't leadership. It's antisemitic gasoline on an open fire," the Israeli Foreign Ministry wrote on X.

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On his very first day as @NYCMayor, Mamdani shows his true face: He scraps the IHRA definition of antisemitism and lifts restrictions on boycotting Israel.

This isn’t leadership. It’s antisemitic gasoline on an open fire.

— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) January 2, 2026

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Mamdani signed the orders on Thursday afternoon, only hours after his swearing-in at City Hall. In this decision, he withdrew directives issued by former mayor Eric Adams, as CNN reported.

He defended his decision at a press conference on Friday, saying that several Jewish groups in the city had also raised concerns about the broader definition of the term.

He further explained that incoming mayors have the option to keep existing executive orders, withdraw them, or make changes to them, CNN reported.

"What we will do is actually deliver on our commitment to protect Jewish New Yorkers in a manner that is able to actually fulfil that," Mamdani said.

Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist who rose to prominence on a campaign centred on tackling affordability in one of the most expensive cities in the United States, was sworn in early Thursday as New York City's 112th mayor.

At 34, Mamdani makes history as the city's first Muslim mayor, its first South Asian mayor, and the youngest person to hold the office in more than a century.

"This is truly the honour and the privilege of a lifetime," Mamdani said moments after taking the oath, CNN reported.

Mamdani was sworn in shortly after midnight during a private ceremony attended by his wife, artist Rama Duwaji. His parents, filmmaker Mira Nair and academic Mahmood Mamdani, were also present.

The former Queens-based state assemblyman stunned the political establishment with his victory in the Democratic primary last summer, running on a platform focused on easing the cost-of-living burden. His campaign pledged universal childcare, a rent freeze for nearly two million rent-stabilised tenants, and making city buses "fast and free," according to CNN.

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