New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani looks down during a press conference in New York City, U.S.,September 29, 2025. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton.

Israel’s Consul General in New York, Ambassador Ofir Akunis, has sharply criticized New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani after the mayor said during a televised interview Sunday that he does not support Israel existing as a Jewish state, warning that Mamdani’s rhetoric could fuel violent antisemitism.

Appearing on ABC’s This Week with Jonathan Karl, Mamdani was asked about his views on Israel’s identity as a Jewish state. “I’ve said time and again that I support the state of Israel as a state with equal rights,” he said. “I believe that any state that privileges one religion over another is one that I can’t tell you I support, whether it be Israel or Saudi Arabia or anywhere else.”

“A lot of that comes back to a fundamental belief that we should all be considered equal, no matter what our faith is,” he added.

Akunis responded in a forceful statement Sunday, arguing that Mamdani’s comments reflected a misunderstanding of Israel’s founding principles.

“Mamdani, we do not need your recognition of the Jewish state,” Akunis said. “If you knew a little history, instead of spending all day inciting and spreading hatred, you would know that Israel’s Declaration of Independence guaranteed full equality for all its citizens. That has been the reality since the day our state was established.”

Akunis also linked Mamdani’s rhetoric to what he described as a worsening climate for Jewish New Yorkers amid a rise in antisemitic incidents across the US.

“The surge in antisemitism across the United States, and particularly in New York, is the result of ignorance and a lack of knowledge, combined with a fundamental hatred of the Jewish people,” Akunis said. “I once again warn that Mamdani’s inflammatory rhetoric will end in very serious and violent acts against Jewish and Israeli communities throughout the city.”

The exchange marks the latest flashpoint in an ongoing debate over Israel and antisemitism in New York, home to the world’s largest Jewish population outside Israel. Mamdani, who has long been one of the country’s most outspoken critics of Israeli government policies and a supporter of the so-called “Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions” (BDS) movement that seeks to isolate Israel from the international community as a step toward the Jewish state’s eventual elimination, has frequently faced criticism from Jewish organizations and pro-Israel leaders over his rhetoric. Mamdani has repeatedly accused Israel of committing a “genocide” in Gaza, and his anti-Israel activism quickly became a central feature of his mayoral campaign.

Supporters of Israel argue that rejecting Israel’s identity as a Jewish state denies the Jewish people’s right to national self-determination, while Mamdani’s supporters contend that opposition to an ethnically or religiously defined state reflects a broader commitment to equal citizenship regardless of religion or ethnicity.

The diplomatic rebuke comes at a time of heightened tensions surrounding Israel and the war in Gaza, with political leaders across the US continuing to debate the future of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the role of American support for Israel.