Mamdani criticized as city drops lease with Israel drone manufacturer

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is facing criticism on social media after a city-controlled Brooklyn shipyard abandoned the lease of a company that sends drones to Israel, six weeks after Mamdani took office as mayor after running on a platform critical of Israel.

The controversy stems from a decision by the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corp. (BNYDC) which refused to renew its lease with New York drone manufacturer Easy Aerial, a company that supplies drones to the Israeli army, The New York Post reported.

The BNYDC is controlled by board members who serve at the pleasure of the mayor and the move comes just over a month after Mamdani was sworn in on New Year’s Day after being widely criticized during the mayor’s election campaign for his anti-Israel statements and positions.

“Easy Aerial is leaving the Brooklyn Navy Yard,” said Democratic New York City Councilor Lincoln Restler. posted on THURSDAY. “@BklynNavyYard leaders made the right decision last month not to renew their lease. This public asset should not be leasing space to companies producing drones turned into weapons of war.”

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Zohran Mamdani, Mayor of New York, during an announcement on junk fees at the Susan and John Hess Family Theater at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, Wednesday, January 21, 2026. (Adam Gray/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Fox News Digital has reached out to Mamdani’s office for comment on its role, if any, in the decision.

Since last year, anti-Israel protesters have been active at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, calling for the eviction of two tenants, Crye Precision and Easy Aerial, which do business with Israel, reported the Brooklyn Paper.

In a statement to Fox News Digital, a BNYDC spokesperson said the decision was made in December and Easy Aerial was notified in January.

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Pro-Palestinian protesters attempt to enter the Brooklyn Museum, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas in Gaza, in the Brooklyn borough of New York, May 31, 2024. (Eduardo Munoz/Reuters)

“BNYDC informed Easy Aerial earlier this year that it would not be renewing its lease agreement for business reasons related to campus operational and compliance matters,” the spokesperson said. “Like any landlord, we evaluate renewals based on compliance with lease terms and campus policies. No other factors were considered in our decision.”

Dating back to his college years, When he founded his school’s Students for Justice in Palestine chapter, Mamdani supported the boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel, an issue that was brought up repeatedly on the campaign trail.

In October, one resurfaced video from 2023 showed Mamdani calling for “an end to New York State’s subsidizing of settler crimes.”

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New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani was elected in November 2025 and was sworn in as the city’s first socialist mayor on January 1, 2026. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

Mamdani received criticism on social media over the board’s decision, as well as from One Israel Fund Executive Vice President Scott Feltman in a statement to Fox News Digital.

“At a time when Hamas terrorists continually violate the ceasefire agreement and attempt to enter the buffer zone between Gaza and Israel, the mayor of New York has decided that a company that allows Israel to prevent such incursions poses a threat to peace,” Feltman said.

“This is ridiculous on every level and ultimately New York is losing out to yet another tax-paying business that provides quality jobs for its residents.”

Fox News Digital has contacted Easy Aerial for comment.