‘Antisemitic gasoline’: Israel criticises Mamdani after he revokes former Mayor Eric Adams executive orders

On his very first day as @NYCMayor, Mamdani shows his true face: He scraps the IHRA definition of antisemitism and lifts restrictions on boycotting Israel.
This isn’t leadership. It’s antisemitic gasoline on an open fire.

— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) January 2, 2026

Mamdani revoked all executive orders issued after Adams was indicted, saying this was to give the new administration a fresh start. City Hall officials said Mamdani may re-issue orders that he still supports.

One of the cancelled orders had barred city agencies from boycotting or divesting from Israel. Another had adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, which includes references to treating Israel with double standards.

Fox News reported that some Jewish community figures said the decision could affect safety and legal protections. Ofir Akunis, Israel’s consul general, was quoted as saying the move “poses an immediate threat to the safety of Jewish communities in New York City.”

Brooklyn Councilwoman Inna Vernikov told Fox News that the IHRA definition “provides clarity on the definition” of antisemitism and protects Jews who support self-determination.

Mamdani has previously called Israel an apartheid state and has said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should be arrested. During the campaign, when asked whether he supports Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state, Mamdani said he was “not comfortable supporting any state that has a hierarchy of citizenship.”

Mamdani has also said he will not tolerate antisemitism in New York and has pledged to increase funding to combat hate crimes.