MANHATTAN, New York (WABC) — As Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani works on his transition to lead New York City, the current mayor met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, urging the leader to attend the inauguration of Mamdani in the city.
For the second time in less than a week, Zohran Mamdani served a hot lunch to less fortunate New Yorkers. This time, it was at a food pantry in the Bronx.
At about the same time, 5,600 miles away, Mayor Eric Adams was meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The contrast, Mamdani later told reporters, was striking.
“New Yorkers are on the brink of being priced out of the city that they call home, and his actions have little to do with that affordability crisis,” Mamdani said. “And what they show, in fact, is why New Yorkers are so desperate for a new administration, one that will focus on the needs of the city and will look to speak to working class New Yorkers as to what those needs are, as opposed to war criminals.”
Mamdani has condemned the Israeli invasion of Gaza as an act of genocide and has vowed to have Netanyahu arrested should he set foot in New York, a threat he repeated on Eyewitness News Up Close.
New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani joins Up Close for an exclusive interview after his November election victory.
“Being a city of international law means looking to uphold international law,” Mamdani said. “And that means upholding the warrants from the International Criminal Court, whether they’re for Benjamin Netanyahu or Vladimir Putin.”
Mamdani won City Hall by double digits but lost the Jewish vote by a 2-1 margin.
In Israel, Adams told a conference that Jewish New Yorkers should soon be concerned about their children’s safety and told Israel’s president that the city is divided.
“49% of New Yorkers made it clear that they don’t embrace the philosophy of ‘anti-Israel,'” Adams said.
Mamdani insists he’s committed to the city’s Jewish community.
“It will be my responsibility that I will uphold to not only protect Jewish New Yorkers, but to celebrate and cherish them in the city,” Mamdani said.
Mamdani planned to have his first meeting with Adams after his return from Israel, but that will have to wait. The mayor just extended his trip to Uzbekistan.
Mamdani may get his meeting with President Donald Trump sooner, after the president indicated Sunday that he plans to meet with New York City’s mayor elect and “work something out.”
Trump says plans are being drawn up.
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