Zohran Mamdani says he’d permanently divest NYC from Israel Bonds if elected

Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee for mayor of New York City, says that if elected, he will oppose restoring the city’s historic investments in Israel Bonds.

He stops short of calling to divest from Israeli businesses, though he does not explicitly reject the position, either, explaining that New York should focus on where it is “directly implicated” in violations of international law.

“And in the city pension fund, purchasing Israel Bonds, that, to me, is something that is a clear indication of our values — and we know that our values are actually with international law,” Mamdani tells CBS New York.

The city’s investments in Israel Bonds — totaling some $39 million as of January 2022 — were cut off by Mamdani’s ally, city comptroller Brad Lander, who cited a general policy of avoiding debt to foreign governments, saying Israel had been an exception and was now being treated in accordance with the rule.

???? Mamdani tells @MKramerTV he backs Brad Lander’s decision not to purchase new bonds in Israeli government debt securities — known as Israel Bonds — as a political statement during his mayoralty.

The NYC comptroller oversees these investments.

More ⬇️ https://t.co/C0cy6kCIYb pic.twitter.com/YRTph1NeIE

— Jacob N. Kornbluh (@jacobkornbluh) September 7, 2025

Mark Levine, the Democratic nominee for comptroller, has said he will restore the bonds, and confirms after the comment from Mamdani — whom he endorsed — that he still intends to do so if elected.

Israel Bonds CEO Dani Naveh declines to respond to Mamdani by name, but says in a statement: “Israel Bonds is proud of the unprecedented outpouring of support — more than $5.5 billion in investments since October 7 — including major commitments from local governments around the country including the State of New York.”

In the interview, Mamdani also criticizes current NYC Mayor Eric Adams, saying he “had a meeting with Israeli settler leaders [and] promised greater cooperation between this city and that movement.”

Adams traveled to Israel in 2023, meeting with figures from across the political spectrum, including Binyamin Regional Council chair Yisrael Gantz.

“I did not go into conversations [about] settlements, it was not mentioned at all in the meeting, at no time did we talk about settlements, that is not why I’m here,” Adams told The Times of Israel, at the time.