New York City Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani posted a message on X marking Nakba Day on May 15, 2026, prompting criticism from commentators who said the post presented a one-sided account of the events surrounding Israel’s creation and the 1948 war.
New York City Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani used the social media platform X on May 15, 2026, to mark Nakba Day—an annual Palestinian commemoration linked to the mass displacement of Palestinians during the 1948 war and the period around Israel’s establishment.
In his post, Mamdani wrote that Nakba Day is observed “to commemorate the expulsion of more than 700,000 Palestinians between 1947 and 1949 during the creation of the State of Israel and the year that followed.” The message accompanied a video featuring a woman identified as Inea, whom Mamdani described as “a New Yorker and a Nakba survivor,” sharing memories of leaving Jerusalem as a child amid gunfire and relocating to Nablus, according to the video excerpted by outlets covering the post.
The mayor’s statement drew sharp responses online, including from pro-Israel activists and some Jewish community figures, who argued that the post omitted key context such as Arab opposition to the 1947 U.N. partition plan and the subsequent war. The Daily Wire, a conservative outlet, described the post as “selective and revisionist” and highlighted critical reactions from commentators and social media users.
Separately, Jewish News Syndicate (JNS) reported that leaders and commentators it cited viewed the video as divisive. JNS also reported that some critics disputed aspects of the video’s presentation—such as the framing of imagery shown in Inea’s home—and it said it sought comment from the mayor.
Nakba Day is typically observed on May 15, the day after Israel’s declaration of independence in 1948.
