A public dispute has erupted between senior Israeli officials over whether New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani should be invited to march in the annual Israel Day Parade in Manhattan.

Ofir Akunis, Israel’s consul general in New York, said Wednesday that Yaakov Hagoel, chairman of the World Zionist Organization (WZO), has “no authority” to extend such an invitation.

The clash follows remarks Hagoel made Tuesday at the Besheva Group’s Jerusalem Conference, where he publicly called on Mamdani to join the parade.

“Tens of thousands of Jews march there every year,” Hagoel said during an interview at the event. “I am calling for him to come and march at my side, and at the side of tens of thousands of Jews, for the nation and the country of Israel.”

Hagoel added that he intends to reiterate the invitation in person if he is able to meet Mamdani during an upcoming visit to New York. He also said he had previously written to the mayor on International Holocaust Memorial Day, criticizing early decisions by Mamdani’s administration, including not preventing protests outside shuls and withdrawing from the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism.

“Mr. Mayor, you are mistaken,” Hagoel said he wrote, adding that he never received a response.

Akunis pushed back in a statement, asserting that the Israeli Consulate in New York — not the WZO — oversees official invitations related to Israel’s participation in the parade.

“The Israeli Consul of New York will lead Israel’s march at the end of May,” Akunis said. “And in it will march ministers, Knesset members, mayors, and other guests who will be invited by the consul.”

He added that Hagoel is welcome to attend “as in every year, as a guest,” but said he does not have the authority to invite others “who don’t acknowledge Israel’s existence as a Jewish state.”

Responding to Akunis later Wednesday, Hagoel defended his remarks, telling Walla News that his invitation was “not symbolic” but a “demand for action.”

“When he abolishes the protection of Jews and removes his commitment to international definitions of antisemitism, he cannot be content with words,” Hagoel said. “If Mamdani is indeed committed to the security of the Jewish community, I expect him to prove it with a public act of marching with us.”

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)