Zohran Mamdani Rescinds Pro-Israel Rules on First Day in Office

1 week ago 23

January 3, 2026 | 11:19 am

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani signed executive orders on his first day in office to revoke several policies of his predecessor, Eric Adams. As reported by ABC News, these actions included the removal of two pro-Israel measures.

One revoked order previously prohibited city agencies from boycotting or withdrawing investment from Israel. The other adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, which critics argue equates opposition to Israel’s ethnic character with hatred toward Jewish people.

Under the executive order signed by Mamdani on Thursday, all policies signed between September 26, 2024, and December 31, 2025, are now null and void.

Meanwhile, older executive orders remain in effect unless the new administration specifically amends or revokes them.

However, Mamdani did not revoke the New York City Office of Countering Antisemitism. This office, established by the Adams administration, will continue its operations. The new order also clarified that the revocation does not affect any emergency executive orders currently in effect.

On Friday, Mamdani confirmed his support for revoking Adams' orders, stating his administration remains focused on safety without restricting political expression.

The Mayor noted that "a number of leading Jewish organizations have immense concerns" about the IHRA definition used in the previous order. He emphasized that his administration will be "relentless in its efforts to combat hate and division."

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) NY stated that it "welcomes Mayor Mamdani's revocation of Adams' 'Israel First' Executive Orders, Restoration of Free Speech."

"This unconstitutional, Israel First attack on free speech should have never been issued in the first place," Executive Director Afaf Nasher said. "We applaud Mayor Mamdani for immediately overturning it."

The New York Times, as quoted by Antara, reported that Donna Lieberman, Executive Director of the New York Civil Liberties Union, called the revoked policies last-minute measures. She argued these rules aimed to restrict views that disagreed with the previous mayor's stance.

According to Lieberman, it is not surprising that the new administration quickly reversed these pro-Israel policies.

“The right to free speech does not depend on your viewpoint, and that is true for speech about Israel or Gaza, it is true about political activism about that conflict, and it is true about any other political issue that we face,” she said.

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