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Zohran Kwame Mamdani wants to be the next mayor of New York City. But before voters even consider handing him the keys to City Hall, one question demands an answer: How can someone who proudly backs the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel – a movement that violates New York State policy – be trusted to lead the nation’s largest city?
New York’s BDS Ban
Nearly a decade ago, then-Governor Andrew Cuomo took a clear stand against anti-Israel boycotts. In 2016, he signed Executive Order 157, which prohibits New York State agencies from doing business with any company or organization that supports BDS.
Cuomo put it bluntly at the time: “If you boycott Israel, New York will boycott you.”
That policy has remained in place under Governor Kathy Hochul, reflecting broad bipartisan support. The message is simple – taxpayer dollars should never be used to advance hate, discrimination, or campaigns that target America’s closest ally in the Middle East.
New York’s anti-BDS stance is not just a political opinion – it is a legally binding order. That means any government leader – including the mayor of New York City – must comply with it. Yet Mamdani has built much of his adult life and political identity around promoting the implementation of BDS and, in so doing, calling for people to break NY state official policy, which unequivocally stipulates that:
“‘Boycott, divestment, or sanctions activity targeting Israel’ means to engage in any activity, or promote others to engage in any activity, that is intended to penalize, inflict economic harm on, or otherwise limit commercial relations with Israel or persons doing business in Israel for purposes of coercing political action by, or imposing policy positions on, the government of Israel.”
Mamdani’s Radical Record
Assemblyman Mamdani, who represents parts of Queens, has become a hero to the far left for his outspoken support of BDS. He has called for cutting economic ties with Israel and has refused to denounce the slogan “Globalize the Intifada” – a phrase that glorifies violent uprisings against Jews and Israelis. He even lobbied Ben & Jerry’s to stop selling ice cream in Israeli communities.
In college, Mamdani was involved with Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) – a group whose chapters have been suspended or banned across the country for crossing the line from protest to extremism. Florida’s state university system permanently deactivated SJP chapters, after the group’s national leadership expressed solidarity with Hamas, a U.S.-designated terrorist organization responsible for the October 7 massacre of innocent Israelis.
At the 2023 Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) conference, Mamdani conflated his SJP activism and BDS with New York City’s future. He stated, “I was somebody who began my journey in organizing and in politics by co-founding my school’s first Students for Justice in Palestine. The struggle for Palestinian liberation was at the core of my politics and continues to be. And so I struggled to find a home in New York City that could bring that politics in and a sense of coherence with the politics I felt around the future of New York City. And here was this organization that endorsed BDS.”
BDS & Calls for Violence at May 2021 Rally
In May 2021, Mamdani spoke at an anti-Israel rally, where he led the crowd in a chant of “BDS” and proclaimed, “I am a proud Socialist and I’m a proud member of the New York City DSA.” He said what brought him to the DSA was its endorsement of BDS, adding, “That’s what we’re fighting for… It’s the belief that there is no distinction in the fight here and the fight there.” He proclaimed, “[W]e will hold every single person who has power in this city, in this state, and in this country accountable for their incomprehensible fealty to the Israeli state.”
Behind him, demonstrators held signs glorifying terrorism and violence. One displayed the word “RESISTANCE” over what appeared to be a masked Hamas militant. Another read, “THERE IS ONLY ONE SOLUTION: INTIFADA, REVOLUTION.”
Among the rally’s speakers was anti-Israel activist Nerdeen Kiswani, co-founder and chair of Within Our Lifetime (WOL), one of the event’s main sponsors. Another sponsor was SJP, with which Kiswani has also been involved. Leading the crowd in chants of “Israel out of the Middle East” and “Long live the Intifada,” Kiswani shouted, “Just as Malcolm X once said, ‘We need allies who are gonna help us achieve a victory, not allies who are gonna tell us to be non-violent!’”
Also addressing the rally was Brooklyn Imam Siraj Wahhaj. In February 1995, Wahhaj was named by the U.S. government as an “unindicted co-conspirator” in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. He had been linked to the bomb-maker, Clement Rodney Hampton-El, and later served as a character witness for the attack’s spiritual leader, the “Blind Sheikh” Omar Abdel Rahman – whom Wahhaj has publicly praised.
A photo Mamdani tweeted this month, showing him arm-in-arm with Wahhaj, drew widespread criticism.
CUNY Law, BDS & Reality
To see how Mamdani’s ideology clashes with the state policy, look no further than the City University of New York (CUNY), an educational institution featuring anti-Semitic commencement speeches, one of which was made by WOL’s Kiswani.
In 2021, CUNY’s law-school student government and faculty passed a resolution endorsing BDS, urging the university to divest from Israel-related companies. The move caused national outrage – and a swift response from CUNY’s leadership.
Chancellor Félix Matos Rodríguez publicly declared that, while the law school’s students and faculty were free to express opinions, CUNY as an institution could not and would not implement BDS because it is prohibited under state policy.
In other words, individuals can shout slogans and pass resolutions – but public institutions are bound by the rules of the state.
That is exactly the dilemma New York City would face if Mamdani becomes mayor. The city’s government oversees contracts, partnerships, and investments worth tens of billions of dollars – many involving Israeli firms or companies doing business in Israel.
Would Mayor Mamdani direct the city to sever ties with them? Would he try to bend or ignore state policy to advance his personal politics?
Mamdani’s dangerous obsession with Israel could cripple the city’s finances and spark a constitutional crisis.
Jewish Concerns
Beyond the legal contradictions, Mamdani’s positions raise deeper moral concerns.
New York City is home to more Jewish people than any city in the world outside of Israel. The Jewish community has helped build this city from the ground up – contributing to its economy, culture, and soul. Since the Hamas attacks of October 7, anti-Semitic incidents have skyrocketed across the five boroughs.
Jewish students have been harassed on campuses. Protesters have blocked traffic waving Hamas flags. Schools and synagogues have faced threats. Visibly Jewish people have been brutally assaulted in broad daylight on New York streets, requiring hospitalization.
In this climate, New Yorkers deserve a leader who will unite the city, defend the vulnerable, and uphold the rules of the state. Mamdani, instead, has chosen to champion a movement that isolates and demonizes Jews and the Jewish state.
Imagine if a candidate for mayor supported a boycott targeting Black-owned businesses or Christian institutions. The outrage would be immediate – and justified. Yet when the target is Israel, the far left call this marginalization “social justice.”
Conflict of Interest
If elected, Mamdani would have to swear an oath to uphold the policies of the State of New York. But those same policies directly contradict the cause he has spent years promoting.
That is not a minor policy difference – it is a fundamental conflict of interest.
Would a Mayor Mamdani enforce the state’s anti-BDS rules? Or would he use his office to undermine them? Would city agencies be forced to choose between obeying state policy or following the mayor’s bigoted politics?
New Yorkers have every right to know that their next mayor will follow the rules of the state, protect all communities, and stand with our allies – not those who chant for their destruction.
Beila Rabinowitz, Director of Militant Islam Monitor, and South Florida community leader Shawn Malachovsky contributed to this report.
