New York City’s annual Israel Day Parade is shifting from a bipartisan tradition into a symbol of growing Democratic Party division over Israel, Gaza, and antisemitism. Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a Democratic Socialist critical of Israel’s Gaza campaign, announced he will not attend Sunday’s parade, becoming the first New York mayor in decades to skip it. His decision aligns with campaign positions he said he previously stated. The dispute intensifies as Democrats debate U.S. support for Israel after the war in Gaza, including calls from Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen to reassess the relationship and criticize Israeli leadership amid the humanitarian crisis. Former Maryland state Sen. Bobby Zirkin warned that anti-Zionism and antisemitism are often inseparable, arguing that denying Zionism effectively signals antisemitism. The issue also appeared during a Democratic U.S. Senate debate in Michigan involving State Sen. Mallory McMorrow, who linked confronting antisemitism with advocating peace.
"I said on the campaign trail that I wouldn't be attending the parade, and I've made my views on the Israeli government abundantly clear,"
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