New York City Mayor Zahran Mamdani has announced that he will not participate in the annual march in support of the Israeli occupation scheduled for next Sunday, becoming the first mayor of the city to boycott the event since its inception in 1964.
Mamdani said in remarks carried by the Jewish News Agency that he intends to participate in other events that celebrate Jewish life, culture and history in New York, stressing that his decision not to attend the march does not mean that he abandons the responsibility of providing security and the necessary permits to ensure the safety of the participants.
"I made it clear during my election campaign that I would not participate in this march and I also made clear my position on the Israeli government," he said, stressing that his responsibility as mayor is to ensure the security of all New Yorkers without exception.
Mamdani explained that his personal presence at the event "should not be a criterion for determining whether any of the city's residents feel safe or not," stressing his administration's commitment to protecting all components of society, including the Jewish community.
"We take the responsibility of keeping New Yorkers safe very seriously, and we make sure that the city's Jews understand that they are an essential part of it and that they belong to it fully," he said.
The march, held annually on Fifth Avenue, is the largest pro-Israel event outside the occupied territories, and this year's event bears the slogan: "Proud Americans. and proud Zionists."
Israel's Ambassador Responds
Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, responded to the mayor's decision, saying, "It's okay, we'll manage without you."
Mamadani's stance comes in the context of the ongoing criticism within the United States over Israel's war of extermination on Gaza and the policies pursued by the occupation government, amid a growing division in American political and popular circles towards the support provided to Israel.
Who is Zahran Mamdani?
Zahran Mamdani is an American social-Democratic politician who serves as the 112th mayor of New York City, becoming the first Muslim and first Asian American to hold the position in the city's history.
Born in 1991 in Kampala, Uganda to an Indian-Ugandan family, his father, the well-known intellectual Mahmoud Mamadani and his mother, the international filmmaker Mira Nair, he is married to Syrian-American artist Rama Dwaji, and was educated at the Bronx School of Science before earning a bachelor's degree in African studies from Bowdoin College in 2014 and becoming a U.S. citizen in 2018.
He entered politics through the gate of the New York State Legislative Assembly after winning the seat of the 36th District in Astoria in 2020, then was re-elected in 2022 and 2024 with the support of the Democratic Social Workers of America, in November 2025 he won the position of mayor of New York, and took office in January 2026 to succeed Eric Adams.