As Zohran Mamdani prepares to enter City Hall he faces pressure from an unlikely source — Palestine activists

cross-posted from: https://hexbear.net/post/7073049

cross-posted from: https://news.abolish.capital/post/14221

Zohran Mamdani's victory in New York City owed no small debt to Palestine activists, many of whom mobilized behind his campaign. But how will this relationship fare once he enters City Hall? There are some early tests that will let us know.

Last month, activists gathered outside New York City’s Park East Synagogue to protest an event hosted by Nefesh B’Nefesh, an organization that assists Jewish individuals in relocating to Israel.

The protest, which was organized by the Palestinian Assembly for Liberation (PAL Awda), was condemned as antisemitic by pro-Israel groups and leaders over chants of “globalize the intifada” and “death to the IDF.”

“No New Yorker should be intimidated or harassed at their house of worship,” declared New York Governor Kathy Hochul. “What happened last night at the Park East Synagogue was shameful and a blatant attack on the Jewish community.”

All eyes naturally turned to mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, who was repeatedly confronted with antisemitism smears throughout the campaign over his criticisms of Israel.

Now, on the verge of assuming power, Mamdani is attempting to navigate the city’s political terrain.

In the case of Nefesh B’Nefesh, his team attempted to criticize both sides of the issue.

“The Mayor-elect has discouraged the language used at last night’s protest and will continue to do so,” said Mamdani’s press secretary Dora Pekec in a statement.

“He believes every New Yorker should be free to enter a house of worship without intimidation, and that these sacred spaces should not be used to promote activities in violation of international law,” she added, a reference to Nefesh B’Nefesh’s connections to illegal Israeli settlements.

Just two days after the protest, a meeting Mamdani held with Rabbi Marc Schneier raised concerns among his left-wing base.

Schneier, who is president of the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding, said he called on Mamdani to push for legislation that would prohibit demonstrations from being held outside any house of worship, and that the mayor-elect responded positively.

In a statement released after the protest, PAL Awda reaffirmed its commitment to opposing settler recruitment sales, regardless of where they take place.

“Zionists may hide them in homes, schools, and places of worship-knowing well that state officials and the media will join them in weaponizing accusations of antisemitism against protesters,” it read.

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