Far-right Israeli ministers accused of inciting violence against Palestinians attended New York's annual Israel Day Parade on Sunday, while Zohran Mamdani became the first New York mayor in more than six decades to skip the event.
The parade, held along Fifth Avenue, took place as Israel continues its wars in Gaza and Lebanon, drawing senior Israeli politicians, pro-Israel organisations and prominent US political figures to an event that has become increasingly contentious amid the devastation and continued bombardment of the Gaza Strip and Lebanon .
The event unfolded without Mamdani, whose decision not to attend broke with a long-standing political tradition observed by successive New York mayors.
The city's first Muslim and Asian American mayor has repeatedly condemned Israel's genocide in Gaza and previously said he would comply with the International Criminal Court's arrest warrant for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should the Israeli leader visit New York.
Among the Israeli officials attending was far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich , who has repeatedly called for the destruction of Gaza, denied the existence of a Palestinian people and advocated annexing the occupied West Bank. Smotrich has been sanctioned by several European countries over his remarks and is reportedly among Israeli officials being examined by the ICC for possible arrest warrants.
Joining him was Yitzhak Wasserlauf, a member of the far-right Otzma Yehudit party, who has previously drawn criticism for remarks widely interpreted as encouraging violence against Palestinian civilians in Gaza.
Heritage Minister Amihai Eliyahu also took part in the parade. Eliyahu has called for Gaza to be "erased" and repopulated by Jews, opposes the establishment of a Palestinian state and supports Israeli annexation of the occupied West Bank.
Likud lawmaker Ariel Kellner, who previously called for a new Nakba in Gaza and supports Israeli settlement expansion into southern Lebanon, was also among those marching.
Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana participated as well, having previously endorsed US President Donald Trump's proposal to redevelop Gaza and relocate its Palestinian population, describing the plan as a "bold, new vision".
Their participation came as Israel continues its military campaign in Gaza, where more than 72,000 Palestinians have been killed since October 2023 according to figures cited by Palestinian authorities, while much of the enclave has been rendered uninhabitable through sustained bombardment and siege.
The parade was also attended by several prominent US politicians, including Senator Chuck Schumer, Governor Kathy Hochul, Attorney General Letitia James, former New York mayors Michael Bloomberg and Eric Adams, and Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch.
Pro-Israel organisations, including Zionist Horizon and Jewish Vision for Israel, also took part in the event, which has long been regarded as a showcase of support for Israel in the United States.
Among the symbols displayed during the parade was the flag of the Golani Brigade, an Israeli military unit linked to some of the most controversial incidents of the war in Gaza.
The brigade was involved in the massacre of 15 Palestinian paramedics in Rafah in March 2025, when Israeli forces opened fire on two ambulance convoys and later buried the bodies in a mass grave, in one of the deadliest attacks on medical workers during the war. Mamdani boycotts Mamdani's absence drew sharp criticism from pro-Israel politicians and activists, many of whom have repeatedly targeted him over his support for Palestinian rights and his criticism of Israeli military actions in Gaza.
Following the parade, pro-Israel social media accounts circulated AI-generated images falsely depicting Mamdani and his wife, Syrian-American artist Rama Duwaji , attending the event, while mocking the couple.
Ohana accused the mayor of "fanning the flames of hatred" against Israel and New York's Jewish community by refusing to attend.
Mamdani has rejected such accusations and has repeatedly engaged with Jewish communities across the city, including through meetings with progressive Jewish leaders and appearances at synagogues during and after his mayoral campaign.
The parade also drew opposition from anti-Zionist Orthodox Jewish activists, who staged a counter-demonstration nearby.
Protesters carried banners reading "Jews Worldwide Mourn 78 Years of the Existence of Israel" and "Authentic Rabbis Always Against Zionism and the State of Israel", while some burned Israeli flags in protest at Israel's genocide in Gaza.