The Cradle: ❗️Israeli officials who demand ethnic cleansing of Palestinians attend New York's 'Israel...

❗️Israeli officials who demand ethnic cleansing of Palestinians attend New York's 'Israel Day' parade

Several Israeli ministers and lawmakers who have openly advocated for the ethnic cleansing and nuclear destruction of Gaza marched in New York City's annual Israel Day Parade on Sunday. The visiting delegation included Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich—currently facing a secret ICC arrest warrant application for war crimes and apartheid—and Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu, who previously suggested dropping a nuclear bomb on Gaza and starving its population.

Smotrich explicitly compared the New York procession to Jerusalem’s infamous Flag March, an event notorious for racist violence and chants of "Death to Arabs."

The presence of these officials triggered unprecedented political pushback within the city, culminating in a historic boycott by New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani. As the first Muslim mayor in the city’s history and a staunch critic of Tel Aviv's regional wars, Mamdani broke decades of mayoral tradition by skipping the parade, previously stating he would seek the arrest of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he stepped foot in New York.

The political fracture reflects a severe downturn in domestic support for Tel Aviv as the US public grows increasingly weary of Washington’s military and diplomatic backing. A recent Pew Research Center survey revealed that 60 percent of US citizens now hold an unfavorable view of Israel. The domestic backlash has intensified alongside the economic fallout from the US-Israeli war on Iran.