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In a CNN interview earlier this week, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani discussed his decision to skip the city’s annual Israel Day parade, stating that his choice was not rooted in antipathy toward Jewish New Yorkers but rather opposition to Israel’s genocide in Gaza.

Mamdani said that he still played a role in ensuring that the parade was safe for participants.

“My job [as mayor] was to prepare for that parade, to ensure it could be a safe experience,” the mayor explained.

His decision not to attend the parade was a political stance against Israel’s genocide of Palestinians, he said.

“Solidarity with a government that is committing genocide is a very different thing than a question of solidarity with people of a specific faith,” Mamdani said. “I’m proud to be a mayor of the city with the largest Jewish population in this country.”

Under Mamdani, New York Will Open a Free Child Care Center for City Workers

The annual Israel Day Parade took place earlier this month. Mamdani was the first New York City mayor in decades not to attend.

Two weeks prior, Mamdani attended an event recognizing the Nakba; the catastrophe in Arabic, the Nakba refers to the violent expulsion of over 750,000 Palestinians from........

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