New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani Posts Nakba Day Video, Draws Jewish Backlash

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani posted on Friday a video for Nakba Day, an annual Palestinian event commemorating the mass displacement of Palestinians in 1947-49, and the post drew backlash from Jewish organizations in New York for what Haaretz described as one-sidedness.

The Times of Israel reported that Mamdani’s video, produced by the mayor’s office, showed an interview with “Nakba survivor” New York resident Inea Bushnaq, whose account included fleeing her home because “the Zionists were coming into Jerusalem.”

Al Jazeera

The Times of Israel said the video’s text stated that “It refers to the expulsion and displacement of more than 700,000 Palestinians between 1947 and 1949 during the creation of the State of Israel and the year that followed.”

Haaretz said the video sparked backlash for “without acknowledging the full history” of the region, while The Times of Israel said Mamdani’s statement that the Nakba “continues to this day” signaled support for the right of return.

The Times of Israel reported that the UJA-Federation of New York said, “Mayor Mamdani: the refugees you post about exist because 22 Arab states launched a war to destroy Israel.”

The Times of Israel also quoted New York State Assemblymember Simcha Eisenstein saying, “We have a mayor who is using government resources to disseminate a narrative and incite hostile propaganda,” from Brooklyn.

Al-Jazeera Net

Haaretz said the backlash followed Mamdani’s Nakba Day video and described it as sparking criticism from Jewish organizations for one-sidedness, while The Times of Israel said criticism also came from the head of the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York and city and state lawmakers.

In parallel, Al Jazeera Net reported that the Israeli Foreign Ministry said the Nakba “was the result of the Arabs' rejection of the Partition Plan issued by the United Nations, and their decision to wage war with the aim of destroying the State of Israel,” and said pro-Israel circles criticized the clip as one-sided.

The Times of Israel said Bushnaq described the use of keys as a symbol of the right of return, telling viewers, “It became sort of a symbol — you have the key but not the house.”

“For over 100 years, The New York Times has continuously, and very famously, blasted its very famous seven-word slogan daily on the front page of its masthead”

All Israel News

The Times of Israel reported that Mamdani’s video was posted shortly before Shabbat and included a narrative that did not mention Arab massacres of Jews or what it described as the Palestinians’ refusal of a two-state solution, while critics connected the Nakba narrative to discrimination and threats against Jews.

The Al-Jazeera Net account said the video provided a definition of the Nakba as an Arabic term meaning “disaster,” and said it noted displacement of more than 700,000 Palestinians between 1947 and 1949 during the “establishment of the State of Israel.”

The Times of Israel said Mamdani’s video drew “furious backlash from leading Jewish groups in the city,” while Haaretz framed the dispute as backlash for “without acknowledging the full history” of the region.