UJA-Federation of New York on Wednesday responded to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's recent video statement.
“New Yorkers elected a mayor to lead this city - not to make Israel the centerpiece of your political grandstanding," UJA emphasized.
"Your video is rife with distortions and disinformation. At a time of rising antisemitism, repeatedly singling out and vilifying the world's only Jewish state for perceived political benefit is repugnant, puts Jews at greater risk - and leaves many Jewish New Yorkers feeling targeted and unwelcome in the city we call home.
"Shame on you."
On Tuesday, in a video posted to social media, Mamdani continued to attack Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a “war criminal", claimed he is the “architect of a horrific genocide against the Palestinian people" and urged the federal government to act to arrest him by joining the International Criminal Court (ICC) which issued an arrest warrant against Netanyahu.
“There is a reason the International Criminal Court issued a warrant for [Netanyahu’s] arrest. As human beings, we have spent generations building a shared understanding that there are crimes so grave they offend all of humanity. Anyone, with their eyes, with their heart, with their conscience, should recognize the devastation he has wrought and understand that he belongs before a court of law," Mamdani charged in the video.
“As I've said, I agree with the ICC that Benjamin Netanyahu should be arrested and tried for his crimes, as I do for anyone else charged by the ICC. My administration has reviewed every avenue available, under applicable law, to determine whether New York City could execute the International Criminal Court's arrest warrant if Benjamin Netanyahu came here. It is clear that we do not have the independent legal authority to enforce this warrant," he admitted.
The Mayor continued, “The federal government, however, does. And I call on them to join the ICC and execute this warrant. And I want to be equally clear: Benjamin Netanyahu is not welcome in New York City, nor is any other war criminal. While we cannot end the genocide on our own, we can decide whether our silence will become another weapon, and we can examine every tool we have to defend the humanity and dignity of all people."