NYC Mayor Mamdani faces backlash over Israel remarks after Upper West Side stabbings
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, the city’s first Muslim mayor, has drawn intense criticism for his outspoken opposition to Israeli policies. After publicly calling Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a “war criminal” and urging the United States to join the International Criminal Court, Mamdani’s comments have been condemned by Jewish community leaders, who say his rhetoric “fanned the flames of hatred” and contributed to an unsafe climate for Jewish New Yorkers.
The controversy intensified on Thursday when a 51‑year‑old suspect shouted “Allahu Akbar” while stabbing a 57‑year‑old Asian man and a 50‑year‑old Jewish man on the Upper West Side. Police treated the attacks as possible hate crimes and arrested the suspect, Raul Morales, on attempted‑murder and hate‑crime charges. Jewish leaders, including the UJA‑Federation chief Eric Goldstein, demanded Mamdani stop “demonising” Israel supporters, while the mayor issued a statement condemning the violence as “hateful and despicable.”
The fallout has spread across media outlets: radio host Sid Rosenberg labeled Mamdani a “terrorist,” prompting Fox News to issue apologies; Democratic congressman Ro Khanna called on President Trump to enforce the ICC warrant against Netanyahu; and public figures such as rapper Vic Mensa and NBA champion Karl Anthony‑Towns have weighed in on the growing antisemitism debate. Legal experts note that the United States is not a party to the ICC, limiting any local authority to act on Mamdani’s arrest‑warrant proposal.