Democratic-Socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani of New York City is being slammed by Jewish groups for his decision to miss the city’s historic Israel Day Parade. His decision comes as the Big Apple wrestles with record levels of antisemitism.

Home to the largest Jewish population outside of Israel, Jewish New Yorkers have long viewed the annual parade as one of the city’s clearest public displays of solidarity with both the Jewish state and the community. On Tuesday, two of the city’s most prominent Jewish organizations declined an invitation to a Jewish heritage event held at Gracie Mansion in response to Mamdani’s latest snub.

«Since the very first Israel Parade in 1964, every single sitting Mayor of New York City has joined in the festive celebrations. New York has historically been proud of its deep relationship with Israel. Not joining the parade is an affront to the history of New York City,» Moshe Davis, former Executive Director of the Mayor’s Office to Combat Antisemitism under Mayor Adams, told Fox News Digital.

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Earlier this month Mamdani officially confirmed that he would not attend the event, despite soaring antisemitism in New York City and weeks of anti-Israel demonstrations outside synagogues and Jewish communal institutions across the city. Parade, organizers say the event on May 31st is expected to draw record turnout in response to Mamdani’s snub.

While the mayor had previously indicated during an Oct. 2025 interview with the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that he would likely not attend as a matter of political principle, his renewed public confirmation has led to growing criticism.

Fox News Digital reached out to Mayor Mamdani’s office regarding the criticism from Jewish leaders over not attending the parade and were referred by his spokesman to a statement he had given to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

Pro-Palestinian protestors try enter the Brooklyn Museum, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas in Gaza, in the Brooklyn borough of New York City, May 31, 2024.  (Eduardo Munoz/Reuters)

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«I look forward to joining and hosting many community events celebrating Jewish life in New York and the rich Jewish history and culture of our city. While I will not be attending the Israel Day Parade, my lack of attendance should not be mistaken for a refusal to provide security or the necessary permits for its safety. I’ve been very clear: I believe in equal rights for all people everywhere. That principle guides me consistently.»

Community leaders say the decision breaks with decades of bipartisan tradition in a city where participation in the parade has long been viewed as both symbolic and expected.

Democratic New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani is once again raising eyebrows, this time over a resurfaced clip in which he says, «Israel is not a place, it is not a country.» (REUTERS/Jeenah Moon and iStock)

Despite the mayor declining the invitation, New York Governor Kathy Hochul spokesperson confirmed to Fox News Digital that she will participate in the parade.

Organizers say this year’s event is expected to feature more marching groups than ever before, driven not only by support for Israel but also by concern over rising antisemitism.

One person associated with the parade told Fox News Digital the event is expected to be «safer at the parade than in your own home,» citing extensive security coordination surrounding this year’s march.

Still, much of the conversation surrounding the parade has centered on Mamdani’s absence.

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During his mayoral campaign, Mamdani suggested he would likely «miss a lot» of New York City’s traditional parades due to his political views, while evaluating appearances «case-by-case.»

The then New York City Mayor Eric Adams marches up 5th Avenue in Midtown during the Israel Parade on June 4, 2023 in New York City.  (ohn Lamparski/Getty Images)

Critics argue the Israel Day Parade is not simply another political event, but a longstanding civic tradition closely tied to New York City’s Jewish identity and history.

«The Israel Day Parade is a testament to one of New York City’s most important relationships. From healthcare to technology to innovation, Israel and New York City are partners in building a better future. I want every New Yorker to join the Parade on Fifth Avenue because celebrating this bond isn’t just for the Jewish community, it’s for our entire city,» former Mayor of New York City Eric Adams told Fox News Digital.

Anti-Israel activists protest outside the United Nations headquarters in New York, on April 7, 2025. (Selcuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images)

The controversy surrounding Mamdani has also widened beyond the parade itself, with the UJA Federation of New York and the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York declining to attend his first Jewish Heritage event for the upcoming Jewish holiday of Shavuot at Gracie Mansion, stating they would not participate in an event hosted by a mayor who «denies the core pillar of our heritage, the State of Israel as the homeland of the Jewish people.»

At the event, Mamdani acknowledged the scale of antisemitism facing the city’s Jewish population, stating, «Jewish New Yorkers, accounting for just nearly 12% of our city’s population, are also the targets of more than 50% of all hate crimes.»

He also announced a proposed $26 million annual investment toward expanding hate crime prevention efforts under the city’s Office for the Prevention of Hate Crimes. Details of the proposal were not clear at how he would tackle antisemitism at time of publication.

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Ambassador Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun, Trump’s special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism, told Fox News Digital when asked about Mamdani’s position that, «It is important we recognize the need for leaders to uphold their responsibility to protect religious freedom and refrain from making incendiary comments that contribute to the rise of antisemitism. Leaders who fail to do so bear responsibility for the increase in antisemitic activity.»

This year’s parade is also expected to feature expanded interfaith participation. In a first for the event’s 61-year history, some Muslim groups are slated to march alongside Jewish organizations, in addition to expanded participation from Asian American groups and others.

El gobierno de Donald Trump intensificó el lunes su campaña de presión contra el gobierno de Cuba, al imponer sanciones a tres organismos gubernamentales y a 11 altos cargos. Entre los sancionados figuran tres generales y funcionarios del partido comunista vinculados al aparato de seguridad cubano.

Dichas sanciones, normalmente utilizadas contra acusados de narcotráfico, violación de los derechos humanos y terrorismo, congelan los bienes y las cuentas bancarias que puedan tener en Estados Unidos.

Aunque es poco probable que alguno de los cubanos objeto de las sanciones tenga activos en Estados Unidos, la medida supone una importante escalada en la campaña del gobierno de Trump para obligar al gobierno comunista a revisar su sistema económico y político.

“Actores alineados con el régimen, como los designados hoy, son responsables del sufrimiento del pueblo cubano, del fracaso de la economía cubana y de la explotación de Cuba para operaciones de inteligencia extranjera, militares y terroristas”, dijo el secretario de Estado Marco Rubio en un comunicado. “Las designaciones de hoy restringen aún más la capacidad del régimen cubano para suprimir la voluntad del pueblo cubano”.

La medida siguió a una oleada anterior de sanciones que presionaron a algunas empresas extranjeras que hacían negocios en Cuba para que se retiraran de la isla, lo que podría desencadenar una cascada de dificultades económicas peores.

Tras una orden ejecutiva dictada este mes para dificultar los negocios en la isla, Hapag-Lloyd, naviera alemana, y CMA CGM, naviera francesa, suspendieron las reservas hacia y desde Cuba. Algunos analistas consideraron especialmente perjudicial la retirada de las navieras, ya que suministraban a la isla productos muy necesarios.

Una empresa minera canadiense, Sherritt International Corporation, también anunció que abandonaba sus empresas conjuntas con Cuba.

El gobierno cubano no respondió a las solicitudes de comentarios.

Entre los altos cargos cubanos afectados por las nuevas sanciones el lunes se encontraban el presidente de la Asamblea Nacional, así como los ministros de Comunicaciones, Energía y Minas y Justicia. También fueron nombradas varias personas que trabajaban para las fuerzas armadas, entre ellas el viceministro de Defensa y tres generales, así como el Ministerio del Interior, la Policía Nacional Revolucionaria y la Dirección de Inteligencia.

John Kavulich, presidente del Consejo Económico y Comercial EE.UU.-Cuba, organización privada no partidista que sigue la política comercial de Washington, dijo que las sanciones eran importantes debido a los altos cargos que ocupan las personas señaladas.

“Desde el punto de vista óptico, es significativo porque se añade a la cartera que el gobierno de Trump está desarrollando para –esperemos, desde su perspectiva– utilizarla como herramienta de negociación”, dijo Kavulich.

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El gobierno de Trump ha estado asestando a Cuba repetidos golpes destinados a paralizar el gobierno comunista que dirige el país desde 1959. Cuba prácticamente no ha recibido petróleo este año después de que el gobierno de Trump bloqueara los envíos de petróleo de Venezuela, la principal fuente de la isla, y bloqueara casi todas las demás entregas de combustible extranjero.

La escasez de petróleo ha sumido al país en prolongados apagones. Incluso La Habana, la capital, está ahora sin electricidad hasta 22 horas al día.

“Para Cuba, esto es feo”, dijo Kavulich. “Y se está poniendo más feo”.

El gobierno también ha estado realizando vuelos de vigilancia alrededor de la isla. La semana pasada, el director de la CIA, John Ratcliffe, visitó la isla y exigió que Cuba cerrara los puestos de escucha chinos y rusos que alberga.

El miércoles, se espera que el Departamento de Justicia estadounidense anuncie una acusación penal contra Raúl Castro, exministro de Defensa y expresidente, por haber ordenado el derribo de dos aviones civiles en 1996. Murieron cuatro personas.

Estados Unidos y Cuba han mantenido negociaciones secretas en las que Washington ha exigido ciertos cambios, entre ellos una apertura económica y una indemnización para las personas cuyas propiedades fueron confiscadas por el gobierno hace décadas.

El presidente Miguel Díaz-Canel ha calificado la serie de acciones estadounidenses de “crimen internacional”.

“Cuba no representa una amenaza, ni tiene planes o intenciones agresivas contra ningún país”, escribió en X. “Cuba, que ya sufre una agresión multidimensional de EE.UU., sí tiene el derecho absoluto y legítimo a defenderse de una arremetida bélica”.

Miguel Cossio, director ejecutivo del Museo Americano de la Diáspora Cubana, en el sur de Florida, dijo que los objetivos de las sanciones parecían haber sido cuidadosamente seleccionados.

El museo, junto con la Foundation for Human Rights in Cuba, preparó un dossier que se hará público el martes con una lista recomendada de decenas de funcionarios cubanos que, según afirman, han participado en actos de represión, procesamientos por motivos políticos, corrupción y otros delitos que deberían hacerles merecedores de sanciones.

“No los escogen por gusto”, dijo Cossio. “Son la élite de la cúpula, quienes realmente dirigen el gobierno y forman parte de la estructura de espionaje y represión”.

*Por Frances Robles, una reportera del Times que cubre América Latina y el Caribe; lleva más de 25 años informando sobre la región.

The Trump administration on Tuesday accused Hamas of using activist and Muslim Brotherhood-linked networks to support a Gaza-bound flotilla and sanctioned several organizers tied to the effort.

The sanctions package, announced by the Treasury and State departments, also targeted activists associated with Samidoun, an anti-Israel activist network that U.S. officials describe as a front for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), along with operatives tied to Muslim Brotherhood networks aligned with Hamas.

The U.S. has designated the PFLP as a foreign terrorist organization. And governments including the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia have designated the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization. Both groups are Islamist organizations that believe in establishing Islamic theocracies where sharia, or Islamic law, is the law of the land.

The sanctions came after the Israeli navy stopped dozens of boats from the flotilla in international waters off Cyprus and detained hundreds of activists on board. Activists involved in the flotilla say the mission is intended to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza and challenge Israel’s blockade of the territory, while Israeli officials have described the effort as a political provocation.

The move lands as a warning shot at a broader activist ecosystem in the U.S. that has long championed the flotilla campaign in a nexus between Islamist and pro-communist organizations, including CodePink and the People’s Forum, nonprofits funded by an American Marxist expatriate, Neville Roy Singham, living in Shanghai, promoting the agenda of the Chinese Communist Party. On Monday, CodePink co-founder Medea Benjamin published a video, protesting the «kidnapping» of flotilla members detained by Israel, calling the country a «pariah state.» Earlier this month, the People’s Forum demanded the release of other detained activists. The sanctions fit a wider Treasury Department strategy of targeting networks that use humanitarian or civil-society branding to amplify causes aligned with Hamas.

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«The pro-terror flotilla attempting to reach Gaza is a ludicrous attempt to undermine President Trump’s successful progress toward lasting peace in the region,» Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said. «Treasury will continue to sever Hamas’ global financial support networks, no matter where in the world they are,» Bessent said.

The move reflects growing scrutiny from U.S. officials over the role activist, nonprofit and international support networks play in amplifying or supporting groups designated as terrorist organizations.

The sanctions freeze any U.S.-based assets of designated individuals and generally prohibit Americans and U.S.-based entities from conducting business with them.

The State Department said the designations target three categories of what it described as Hamas enablers: organizers of a Hamas-backed flotilla attempting to reach Gaza, operatives within Hamas-aligned Muslim Brotherhood networks that facilitate violent terrorist attacks and coordinators tied to Samidoun.

Among those sanctioned were Spain-based Saif Hashim Kamel Abukishek, a member of the Popular Conference for Palestinians Abroad who Treasury officials said served on the flotilla’s steering committee, and Jordan-based Hisham Abdallah Sulayman Abu Mahfuz, the acting secretary general and president of the Popular Conference for Palestinians Abroad.

Treasury also sanctioned Belgium-based Samidoun coordinator Mohammed Khatib and Madrid-based activist Jaldia Abubakra Aueda, whom officials accused of helping coordinate the group’s activities in Europe.

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Israeli forces board a vessel during the interception of the Global Sumud flotilla in the Mediterranean Sea on May 19, 2026. (Global Sumud Flotilla via AP)

Treasury has previously described Samidoun as a fundraising and support platform for the PFLP in countries where the group faces legal restrictions.

The sanctions package also targeted several operatives tied to Hamas-aligned Muslim Brotherhood networks, including members linked to Harakat Sawa’d Misr, an Egypt-based militant offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood known by the acronym HASM.

«Hamas uses these enablers to sustain its position in Gaza, finance its operations, and engage in terrorist violence beyond its borders,» the State Department said. «Today’s action exposes how Hamas exploits diaspora organizations, religious institutions, and purported civil society groups to advance its malign agenda while claiming humanitarian objectives.»

Treasury accused Karim Sayed Ahmed Moghny, one of the individuals sanctioned Tuesday, of directing militant activity, training operatives in covert operations and collaborating with HASM on attacks targeting Israeli interests.

Treasury also sanctioned Marwan Abu Ras and the Palestinian Scholars Association, which officials accused of helping align religious institutions in Gaza with Hamas’ ideology.

The sanctions came as Israeli forces intercepted the remaining flotilla vessels Tuesday, detaining hundreds of activists aboard the boats, according to The Associated Press.

Cutline/caption: Israeli soldiers are seen on a vessel bearing symbols of the Global Sumud flotilla, with a cargo ship behind it, as seen from Ashdod, southern Israel, on May 19, 2026. (Amir Cohen/Reuters)

Flotilla organizers said 428 activists from more than 40 countries were detained after Israeli forces stopped roughly 41 vessels in international waters off Cyprus, according to the AP.

Amnesty International called for the release of flotilla activists, including Abukishek, and described the mission as a «peaceful solidarity mission» intended to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza.

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Turkey and Hamas condemned Israel’s interception of the flotilla, while Ireland’s prime minister described the operation in international waters as «absolutely unacceptable,» according to the AP.

Samidoun told Fox News Digital it rejected the sanctions and denied having «material or organizational ties» to groups designated as terrorist organizations. The group also accused the U.S. government of politically coordinating the sanctions with Israel’s interception of the flotilla, which it described as «piracy» and the «abduction» of activists.

Fox News Digital was unable to immediately reach representatives for Popular Conference for Palestinians Abroad through publicly available channels.