Portrait of Zohran Mamdani
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Zohran Mamdani on BDS

Supports BDS (strong)

TL;DR

Zohran Mamdani strongly supports the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement as a means to compel Israeli compliance with international law.

Key Points

  • He supported non-violent movements to bring about compliance with international law during a 2025 MSNBC interview.

  • On his first day in office in January 2026, he scrapped a prior executive order that barred city support for BDS efforts against Israel.

  • While in the State Assembly, he authored a 2023 bill intended to penalize nonprofits funding Israeli settlement activity.

Summary

Zohran Mamdani has clearly articulated his support for the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement, describing it as consistent with his core politics. As mayor, he took immediate action to reverse previous municipal policy by revoking an executive order that prohibited city officials from supporting the BDS campaign against Israel. He stated he supports non-violent movements like BDS when they seek compliance with international law, particularly in areas where the prior administration was seen as violating those standards.

This position aligns with his past actions, including introducing legislation as a state assemblymember to block nonprofits from funding Israeli settlements. His stance has drawn concern from Jewish organizations who view BDS as delegitimizing the Jewish state, while he maintains that his critiques are directed at the Israeli government, not Jewish people or faith. His revocation of the order also coincided with the rescinding of the city's adoption of the IHRA definition of antisemitism, a move he views as protecting free speech rights.

Key Quotes

I support BDS because this is a movement that is looking for that kind of compliance. We haven't seen it

Frequently Asked Questions

Zohran Mamdani publicly supports the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement, stating he supports it as a non-violent means to pressure Israel toward compliance with international law, according to a 2025 interview. He stated that his critique is of the government, not the Jewish people or faith.

Yes, Zohran Mamdani revoked an executive order from the previous administration on his first day in office in January 2026. This action canceled a prohibition on city officials supporting the boycott, divestment, and sanctions campaign against Israel.

While serving as a state assemblymember, Zohran Mamdani introduced a bill in 2023 aiming to block certain nonprofits from financially supporting Israeli settlement activity, as noted by several sources. This action was part of his consistent advocacy related to these issues.