New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani publicly marked Nakba Day on Friday, a move The New York Times described as a significant shift for the city’s mayors and one that immediately drew praise from pro-Palestinian New Yorkers and criticism from some Jewish leaders.
According to The New York Times, Mamdani posted a four-minute, documentary-style video produced by City Hall featuring Inea Bushnaq, a New Yorker who was 9 when she and her family were displaced during the 1948 war surrounding Israel’s creation. Mamdani described her as “a New Yorker and a Nakba survivor,” saying she shared a story of home, tradition and memory.
The post underscored Mamdani’s longstanding public support for Palestinian rights and history. Unlike previous New York mayors, he did not mark Israel’s Independence Day, and his office has said he will not attend the Israel Day parade later this month. The Times said Mamdani appeared to be the first New York mayor to publicly commemorate Nakba Day.
Supporters welcomed the move as a long-overdue recognition of Palestinian suffering. Critics, including Jewish leaders and pro-Israel voices, said the post was divisive, especially because it marked Nakba Day while omitting Israel’s Independence Day. Some also objected to the timing of the post shortly before Shabbat and said the video lacked context about violence against Jews, the 1948 Arab-Israeli war and the displacement of Jews from Middle Eastern countries.
The debate reflects the broader clash over the history of Israel’s founding. For many Israelis and Jews, it represents national revival after centuries of persecution and the Holocaust. For Palestinians, the Nakba marks mass displacement and a trauma they say continues today, especially amid the war in Gaza after Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel.
Mamdani, New York’s first Muslim mayor and a longtime supporter of the pro-Palestinian movement, has repeatedly faced criticism from pro-Israel New Yorkers over his positions. The Times noted that he founded a Students for Justice in Palestine chapter at Bowdoin College, supported an academic boycott of Israel and is closely aligned with the Democratic Socialists of America, which supports boycotting Israel.
The controversy comes amid rising tensions in New York over the Middle East conflict, including protests, reported hate crimes against Jews and Muslims and recent security concerns involving threats against Jewish and Palestinian targets.