Through his account on the “X” platform, the right-wing minister wrote: “The city that was once a symbol of global freedom has handed over its keys to a Hamas supporter.”
Chikli pointed out that Mamdani is “not far in his positions from the extremists who killed 3,000 residents of New York 25 years ago,” referring to the September 11, 2001 attacks carried out by al-Qaeda in New York and Washington.
Mamdani, 34, is considered the first Muslim to assume the mayorship of New York, the largest city in the United States, in January 2026.
In previous statements, Mamdani affirmed: “We will build a municipality that does not hesitate to combat the scourge of antisemitism, and where more than a million Muslims know they belong.”
The New York City Mayor-elect is known for his supportive positions on the Palestinian cause, where he described Israel as an “apartheid regime” and considered the war in Gaza a “genocide,” which aroused the resentment of some members of the Jewish community in the city, but he did not back down from his views.
Chikli stated that “New York will not be the same, especially for the Jewish community in it,” and added that “the city is heading with open eyes towards the abyss in which London has sunk.”
He concluded his post with a call to the Jewish community, asking them to “think seriously about making their new home in the land of Israel.”
The Israeli minister’s attack comes one day after statements by US President Donald Trump, who described Mamdani on his “Truth Social” platform as “anti-Jewish,” in the context of ongoing criticism of Mamdani by the conservative economic and media elite due to his Islamic origins and political positions.
