Yossi Schwartz ISL (RCIT section in Israel/Occupied Palestine) 10.01.2026
New York Mayor Zoharan Mamdani condemned calls in support of Hamas at a demonstration in Queens, and gave in after harsh criticism from pro-Zionists.
New York City Mayor Zoharan Mamdani succumbed to pressure on Friday to condemn calls for support for Hamas during a stormy demonstration in the borough of Queens. After being criticized for his hesitant initial response, he finally declared that such rhetoric “has no place in our city.”
The incident took place on Thursday evening in the Q Gardens Hills neighborhood, which is characterized by a large Orthodox Jewish population. The focal point was the Agudat Yisrael synagogue, which hosted an event to promote the sale of real estate in the West Bank (Ma’ale Adumim). Pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered outside the building, facing a group of pro-Israel demonstrators, as police forces separated them.
The pro-Palestinian demonstrators were filmed shouting in rhythm: “Say it out loud, say it clearly, we support Hamas here.” In addition, cries were heard and claims that the land had been stolen. On the other hand, the pro-Israel demonstrators chanted “Death to Palestine,” waved flags in support of US President Donald Trump and the Kach movement, and even made personal threats and blatant hate calls against Mayor Mamdani.
Mamdani’s reaction to the anti-Israel incident sparked a political storm. Initially, the mayor refrained from directly condemning the pro-Hamas calls, making do with a general statement yesterday afternoon, in which he said that the “rhetoric and scenes” at the demonstration were wrong. Only after public pressure was exerted on him and after criticism was leveled at his relative silence did Mamdani publish a clarification on social media in which he explicitly wrote that “calls in support of a terrorist organization have no place in the city.”
A series of elected officials who were quick to condemn the event strongly pressured him. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-Calif.) made it clear that “Hamas is a terrorist organization committed to exterminating Jews while imposing a cruel rule on the Palestinians,” adding that support for it is anti-Semitic.
Progressive Democratic Congresswoman Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez also reacted to the incident, writing on Network X, “Hey, so marching into a neighborhood with a majority of Jews and leading with chants of ‘We support Hamas’ is a disgusting and anti-Semitic thing to do. Pretty basic!”
New York Governor Kathy Hochul called the rhetoric “repulsive and dangerous,” and Attorney General Letitia James stressed, “We don’t support terrorists. Period.” Julie Minin, the chairwoman of the city council, and Brad Lander, the former comptroller, also joined in the condemnation, calling the calls “vile anti-Semitism.”
It should be said that while Hamas is a movement opposing the genocide of the Palestinian people, the one founded by Meir Kahane is a right-wing terrorist organization – this was a Jewish terrorist organization, and an extreme right-wing, Jewish-religious Israeli party, founded by Rabbi Meir Kahane. Its declared position was that the Land of Israel belongs only to Jews, and that non-Jews can live in it subject to Jewish conditions. It offered the Arabs of the Land of Israel temporary residency or, alternatively, transfer and compensation for their property that would take into account Jewish property stolen from Arab countries. The party was elected to the 11th Knesset in 1984, but was disqualified from running in the 1988 elections, after amendments were made to the Basic Law: The Knesset and the Knesset Elections Law, which prevent lists that incite racism from running.
In 1994, Baruch Goldstein carried out the massacre at the Cave of the Patriarchs. Goldstein was active in the Kach movement, and among other things, appeared in third place on its list ahead of the elections for the 11th Knesset and was elected on its behalf to the Kiryat Arba Council. Following the massacre, the State of Israel declared the Kach movement a terrorist organization. Subsequently, Canada, the United States, and the European Union also included the movement in the lists of terrorist organizations.
Nevertheless, Mamdani and the rest of the pro-Zionist including the fake leftist Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez condemn those who oppose the robbery of the Palestinians and support the Zionist terrorist movement. Their road is leading them to support Popular fronts.
The centrists who supported his election and organized his support are not better than their beloved Mayor. It is now clear that Netanyahu can visit New York without any fear and he will be welcomed by Mamdani and protected by the NY police.
Some of the Kehana movement’s members have ties to the Otzma Yehudit party, and its leader, Police Minister Ben Gvir, is a Kahanist and a Goldstein sympathizer. The real estate activity in its synagogue was the sale of Palestinian land occupied in 1967.