NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani’s anti-Israel video resurfaces

With Election Day in New York just days away, a July 2023 video of Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani calling for “ending New York State’s subsidies for settler crimes” is circulating online.

The video shows Mamdani, shouting for the gathered New Yorkers during a “Not on Our Dime!” rally at Herald Square in Manhattan on July 20, 2023 to pressure their elected officials to support his bill in the State Assembly that would prohibit any “nonprofit corporation from engaging in unauthorized support of Israeli settlement activities.”

“Are we ready to end New York State’s subsidizing of settler crimes? Are we ready to say, ‘Not on our dime?'” Mamdani shouted.

Last week, prominent New York City rabbis joined more than 650 rabbis from across the country in signing “A Rabbinical Call to Action: Defending the Jewish Future,” asserting that American Jews “cannot remain silent” about discrimination against Jewish people and citing Mamdani’s anti-Israel positions.

NYC RABBIS WARNS DEMOCRATIC SOCIALIST MAYORAL CANDIDATE ‘POSES A DANGER’ TO NEW YORK’S JEWS

Zohran Mamdani, Democratic candidate for mayor of New York, accepts the endorsement at United Bodegas of America in the Bronx, New York, Wednesday, October 29, 2025. (Fox News Digital/Deirdre Heavey)

Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa have repeatedly criticized Mamdani’s positions on Israel, arguing that he would not do enough as mayor to protect New York’s Jews, citing his past refusal to condemn the phrase “globalize the Intifada,” which he now says he discourages others from using.

If Mamdani wins the mayoral election on November 4, he will become New York’s first Muslim mayor.

NYC RABBI Warns that ZOHRAN MAMDANI “POSES A DANGER” TO THE SECURITY OF THE JEWISH COMMUNITY

Religion has become a defining issue in the mayoral race, as New York Jews have rejected Mamdani’s positions on Israel, including calling the war in Gaza a “genocide” and refusing to recognize Israel as a Jewish state.

Mamdani asserted that he “would not recognize the right of any state to exist with a system of hierarchy based on race and religion.”

When asked during last week’s mayoral debate whether Mamdani had any regrets about his “long-standing” anti-Israel views, the democratic socialist affirmed his commitment to protecting New York’s Jews, as he did throughout the campaign.

“When I grew up in this city, I grew up hearing the term ‘progressive except Palestine.’ I grew up hearing that it was okay to see inconsistency only when it applied to Palestinians. I saw the politicians I admired talk about universal rights and then draw the line when it came to the Palestinians,” Mamdani said in a viral video from 2023.

Zohran Mamdani, Democratic candidate for mayor of New York, greets his supporters in Hell’s Kitchen on Tuesday, October 28, 2025. (Fox News Digital/Deirdre Heavey)

“And I was just told that this is how it is, this is how it happened and this is how it will be,” he continued. “And when I decided to run for office, I was told to keep my thoughts on Palestine to myself if I wanted to win. I want to make that clear. I have spoken to my constituents every day about the need for us to consistently stand up for justice for every person, whether they are in Astoria or in Palestine.”

Mamdani has long supported the pro-Palestinian movement, notably at Bowdoin College, where he founded the Students for Justice in Palestine chapter.

In the video, a heckler accused Mamdani of “funding the problem” as an elected official. Smiling, Mamdani asked the crowd to chant: “Not at our expense!” with him.

“This is what we are asking for, and we are asking for it because we know that the days of this inconsistency, the days of drawing boundaries in Palestine, are over,” Mamdani shouted.

“What we’re asking for is an end to our complicity as New Yorkers, and we know it’s going to be a long battle, but you can’t win if you don’t start. This is the beginning of that battle because we have organizations posing as charities,” he said.

Zohran Mamdani, Democratic candidate for mayor of New York, delivers remarks in the Bronx, New York, Friday, October 24, 2025. (Fox News Digital/Deirdre Heavey)

Mamdani’s bill, which has been introduced in the New York committee but has not yet moved forward, is designed to prevent nonprofits from “engaging in unauthorized support of Israeli settlement activities.”

“There is nothing charitable about dispossession. There is nothing charitable about violence. We know that. Every normal person knows that, but when it comes to politics, they want to make an exception. So who is willing to make the exception?” » asked Mamdani.

“Not at our expense!” » Mamdani chanted.

“We are constantly told that this country opposes settlements. We are told that international law opposes settlements. It is time for our reality to reflect that. We are tired of your rhetoric. We want to see them in reality. We are tired of hearing one thing and subsidizing another. If New York State stands for justice, there must be no exceptions,” Mamdani said.

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The gathering notably took place a few months before the Hamas terrorist attacks against Israel on October 7. Israel’s subsequent war in Gaza sparked pro-Palestinian protests across the United States, of which New York City became the epicenter, particularly at Columbia University.

“I know we’re going to win, and every day that we do this, we bring that day even closer.”

The Mamdani campaign did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on whether the mayoral candidate would respect this legislation, whether he would work to pass a similar bill in New York if elected and whether his conversations with Jewish leaders throughout the campaign had changed his views.