Israel's Consul General in New York, Ofir Akunis, has invited Mayor Zohran Mamdani to attend a screening of an Israel Defense Forces film documenting Hamas's October 7, 2023, massacre.
Akunis first announced the invitation during a ceremony on Monday commemorating the attack's third anniversary. He said the screening would give Mamdani an opportunity to see “for the first time, what the people he supports really did" by attending the event.
“My friends, in less than 48 hours, we will honor October 7, the exact day of the brutal massacre against our people," Akunis said at Monday's commemoration. “We will screen here in New York City the 47-minute horror movie that was produced by the IDF."
Akunis said he had formally invited the mayor and urged him to take part in the screening.
“Maybe, maybe, if he will come, he will stop spreading his hate and blood libels against the State of Israel," Akunis said.
On Tuesday, the Israeli diplomat published the letter he had sent to Mamdani on social media. In it, he invited the mayor to watch a 47-minute film compiled by the IDF from footage recorded by Hamas terrorists on their GoPro cameras during the attack.
"Mayor Mamdani,
On the third anniversary of the October 7th massacre, I would like to invite you to join us for a screening of a 47-minute film produced by the Israel Defence Forces documenting the events of that terrible day through footage captured by the Hamas terrorists themselves on their GoPro cameras," the letter reads.
Akunis also accused Mamdani's rhetoric against Israel of contributing to rising antisemitism in New York and argued that viewing the footage could help the mayor understand the importance of the Jewish state and its right to defend itself.
"With your rhetoric against the State of Israel being the fundamental reason for the rise of antisemitism in New York City, it is even more crucial now for the safety and continued existence of the Jewish homeland. Perhaps after watching this film, you will truly understand why the Jewish State is so important and why we will continue to defend ourselves, no matter against whom, and no matter when," Akunis wrote to the mayor.
He concluded by urging Mamdani to approach the screening with an open mind.
"I hope you will come with an open heart and that seeing the footage for yourself will help convey the reality of what happened on October 7th in a way that words alone cannot," wrote Akunis.
Mamdani has faced sustained criticism over his positions on Israel, dating back to his mayoral campaign. His remarks on October 8, 2023, the day after Hamas's assault on southern Israel, and his refusal to condemn the slogan “globalize the intifada" have been among the main points of contention.
The dispute has continued since he took office. On his first day as mayor, Mamdani rescinded several Israel-related executive orders issued by his predecessor, Eric Adams. He also became the first New York City mayor to boycott the city's annual Israel Day Parade.
During his campaign, Mamdani pledged that the New York Police Department would arrest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he visited the city, citing an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant against him. After his administration reviewed the issue, Mamdani acknowledged that New York City lacks independent legal authority to enforce the warrant.
Nevertheless, he has continued to criticize Netanyahu. In an interview last week with podcaster Theo Von, Mamdani said he would support US membership in the ICC and compliance with its arrest warrants, including the warrant issued against Netanyahu in 2024 over alleged war crimes in Gaza.
“If I had my say, the US government would have joined the ICC, honored every single warrant that they've issued. I believe that the US government should join the ICC. It should enforce its warrants for everyone," Mamdani told Von.
He subsequently referred to Netanyahu as “the architect of a horrific genocide."
Mamdani was also asked about Netanyahu's criticism of him during the prime minister's address to the United Nations General Assembly last month. Netanyahu said that “Jews no longer feel safe" in New York under Mamdani and criticized the mayor's description of Israel's military actions in Gaza, as well as social media activity by Mamdani's wife, Rama Duwaji.
Mamdani described his reaction to the remarks as unusual, recounting that he had been meeting with the prime minister of the Netherlands at an LGBTQ center in Manhattan when Netanyahu spoke at the UN.
“It was strange," Mamdani said of Netanyahu’s comments. “I was having a meeting with the Prime Minister of the Netherlands at the LGBTQ center in downtown Manhattan … and then I get back from that meeting, and it’s like, ‘Oh, by the way, here’s what he was saying at the UN.’"
He argued that Netanyahu's criticism was intended to divert attention from the allegations against him.
“All of this is an attempt to distract from responsibility - name as many people as possible, try and make it into a back-and-forth. It's not about me and him."
“It's about the fact that he's the architect of a genocide. And it's like, yeah, if I was the architect of a genocide, I would probably talk about anything but that," charged Mamdani.