A delegation of 13 MKs from both the coalition and the opposition participated in New York’s annual Israel Day Parade on Sunday as New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani boycotted the event.
Mamdani was the first New York mayor to not attend the parade since 1964. Last week, Mamdani said he had made clear during his election campaign that he would not attend the parade, adding that his views on the Israeli government were “abundantly clear.”
The delegation of MKs who joined the parade was led by Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana (Likud).
Mamdani's boycott came against the backdrop of a sharp rise in antisemitic incidents in New York and pushed Ohana to lead the delegation and triple the usual number of MKs who attended.
They waved Israeli flags along Fifth Avenue and were part of the largest Israel solidarity parade ever held in New York City, breaking the all-time record for participation, the Knesset stated.
Ohana said that the delegation was "an impressive show of strength and a direct message to the local leadership that is despicably fueling the fire of hatred in the city against Israel and its Jewish residents: You will not scare us. The attempt to uproot our connection to this space through lies and violence will not succeed, and will be met here and everywhere with a powerful and united Zionist fist.”
Otzma Yehudit MK Yitzhak Kreuzer said the Knesset delegation was there “with supporters of the State of Israel, holding our heads high and marching with Israeli flags with great pride.”
Yesh Atid MK Vladimir Beliak said: “It is very important to come here and support the Jewish community, especially given the fact that for the first time in New York’s history, there is an anti-Israel mayor here.”
The annual parade is organized by the UJA-Federation of New York and the Jewish Community Relations Council. It brings together Jews and people of all faiths.
Opposition and coalition put disagreements aside
Opposition coordinator MK Merav Ben-Ari (Yesh Atid) said that she was joining the solidarity parade in New York as a member of the opposition, "but first and foremost as a representative of the State of Israel."
"We have political arguments among ourselves, and sometimes deep disagreements, but before the world, we have a shared responsibility to stand together, strengthen the connection with Diaspora Jewry, and show that Israel is the national home of the entire Jewish people," she added.
"Especially in days like these, our presence here is more important than ever. Particularly when the mayor of New York decided not to march this year, unlike in previous years, we must send an important message from here that support for Israel comes before everything.”
No MKs from the left-wing Democrats party or the Knesset's Arab parties - Hadash-Ta'al and Ra'am - were part of the delegation.
The lawmakers are expected to fly back to Israel after the parade and return by Monday, ahead of the upcoming Knesset dissolution vote.
Ahead of the march, Kreuzer criticized Mamdani while visiting the Ground Zero site where the Twin Towers fell on 9/11 in 2001.
“We must not grant legitimacy to terrorism or to those who justify it,” he said. “Those who support rapists and murderers in Gaza will bring terror to the streets of New York.”
“I arrived in New York at the World Trade Center, where the tragedy of September 11, 2001, took place,” Kreuzer said.
“A quarter of a century has passed, and reality has not changed. The message from here is clear and unequivocal: Terrorism must be defeated and eradicated, otherwise its supporters become the mayor of New York and members of the Knesset.”
Mamdani’s absence from the parade reflected a dangerous trend of granting legitimacy to extremists and those against Israel, he said.
The lessons of the 9/11 attacks and the October 7 massacre were the same, Kreuzer said.
“This year’s Israeli delegation is larger than ever and carries a clear message: We will not bow our heads in the face of antisemitism,” he said.