Menachem Rosensaft, a prominent liberal Zionist commentator, argues in a Times of Israel opinion piece that New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani's threat to arrest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu creates an impossible situation for liberal Zionists who previously protested Netanyahu's visits. Rosensaft says he demonstrated against Netanyahu's past New York visits in solidarity with Israel's democracy movement, but will not rally alongside antisemites.
Menachem Rosensaft, a prominent liberal Zionist commentator and former general counsel of the World Jewish Congress, published an opinion piece in the Times of Israel arguing that New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani's recent threats to arrest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu make it impossible for liberal Zionists to protest the prime minister's UN visit. Rosensaft writes that he previously demonstrated against Netanyahu's visits to New York in solidarity with Israel's democracy movement, but refuses to rally alongside antisemites who have embraced Mamdani's position.
The opinion piece is the latest development in the ongoing controversy surrounding Mamdani's statement that he would use his authority to promote Netanyahu's arrest during the upcoming UN General Assembly. As The Zioneer has reported, US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz rejected the threat, calling it 'pure political theater,' while Israeli UN Ambassador Danny Danon told Mamdani that 'the one who should be arrested is not our prime minister — but you.' President Trump also reportedly dismissed the threat.
Rosensaft's argument highlights the dilemma facing liberal Zionists who oppose Netanyahu's policies but refuse to align with the far-left anti-Zionist coalition that Mamdani represents. The piece underscores the deepening political divide over Israel within the American Jewish community and the Democratic Party.
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