Israel challenges Mandani in New York — unexpected proposal
Israel's Consul General in New York, Ofir Akunis, invited Mayor Zohran Mandani to a screening of a 47-minute IDF film about the Hamas attack on October 7. Akunis criticized Mandani's rhetoric, calling it a cause of rising antisemitism. Mandani had previously called Netanyahu a "war criminal" and accused Israel of "genocide."
Israel's Consul General in New York, Ofir Akunis, invited Mayor Zohran Mandani to a screening of a 47-minute film prepared by the IDF based on footage from the Hamas attack on October 7. The screening will take place in New York on Wednesday, October 7, marking the third anniversary of the attack. Akunis sent Mandani an official letter on October 5 and separately addressed him during a memorial ceremony attended by about a thousand people. In the letter, Akunis called Mandani's rhetoric against Israel the "main cause" of rising antisemitism in New York and urged the mayor to come "with an open heart." The invitation followed months of tense confrontation: Mandani had called Prime Minister Netanyahu a "war criminal," promised to secure his arrest, and accused Israel of "genocide" in Gaza. Mandani also presented a city strategy to combat antisemitism, which Akunis criticized as insufficient. The film had previously been shown at closed screenings for journalists and diplomats.