The Israeli government and its allies are coming for the new Mayor of New York, Zohran Mamdani, over his decision to erase much of former Mayor Eric Adams’ tumultuous swan song, including two executive orders related to Israel. On Thursday, Mamdani revoked all executive orders issued by Adams after his federal indictment on September 26, 2024.“That was a date that marked a moment when many New Yorkers decided politics held nothing for them,” said Mamdani during a Brooklyn press conference on Thursday, alluding to accusations that Adams’ administration was tainted by his efforts to cozy up to President Donald Trump to avoid prosecution.“This isn’t leadership. It’s antisemitic gasoline on an open fire.”Mamdani’s new executive order revokes the Adams administration’s adoptions of the controversial International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, or IHRA definition of antisemitism, which defines criticism of Israel as antisemitic. It also ends an Adams-era ban on city agencies boycotting or divesting from Israel. Mamdani kept the mayor’s Office to Combat Antisemitism in place.The Israeli government lashed out at Mamdani over his order, painting it as both antisemitic and anti-Israel.“On his very first day as @NYCMayor, Mamdani shows his true face: He scraps the IHRA definition of antisemitism and lifts restrictions on boycotting Israel,” posted the Israel Foreign Ministry on X. “This isn’t leadership. It’s antisemitic gasoline on an open fire.”On his very first day as @NYCMayor, Mamdani shows his true face: He scraps the IHRA definition of antisemitism and lifts restrictions on boycotting Israel.This isn’t leadership. It’s antisemitic gasoline on an open fire.— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) January 2, 2026Other pro-Israel Mamdani critics posted similar denouncements. “Mamdani @NYCMayor just UNDID previous executive order which adopted the IHRA definition of antisemitism,” wrote Inna Vernikov, a Republican councilwoman from Brooklyn on X on Thursday night. “IHRA protects from discrimination Jews who believe in self determination and provides clarity on the definition.”Accusations of antisemitism are nothing new for Mamdani, who made history on Thursday by becoming the first Muslim mayor of New York. Coverage of his campaign, and now his administration, has repeatedly fixated on his relationship with Israel, despite his insistence on focusing on local issues like grocery prices, housing, and transportation. Related They Tried to Smear Zohran Mamdani as an Antisemite. Voters Saw Right Through It. Despite those criticisms, many New York civil liberties groups argue Mamdani’s orders are an important step in restoring freedom of speech.“Mayor Mamdani was right to revoke Mayor Adams’s executive orders that adopted a flawed and far too broad definition of antisemitism, and that prohibited city agencies from boycotting Israel,” wrote New York Civil Liberties Union Executive Director Donna Lieberman, in a statement to The Intercept. “Both orders seem to have been designed to suppress speech Mayor Adams disagrees with, but that is protected by the First Amendment.” The IHRA definition of antisemitism has been widely criticized for stifling political speech over Israel and manufacturing consent for its treatment of Palestinians by classifying criticism of Israel’s actions and of Zionism as inherently antisemitic.CAIR-NY, the New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Muslim civil rights organization, lauded the decision to revoke the IHRA definition and the ban on boycotting Israel.“This unconstitutional, Israel First attack on free speech should have never been issued in the first place,” CAIR-NY executive director Afaf Nasher wrote in a statement. “We applaud Mayor Mamdani for immediately overturning it.”Aside from the orders themselves, Nina Smith, a Democratic political strategist, said that Mamdani was showing New York voters that he is sticking to his campaign promises. Read our complete coverage Chilling Dissent “Mr. Mamdani campaigned on having a direct and authentic relationship with the people he serves in New York, with New Yorkers,” said Smith. “The Adams administration was marked by controversy and corruption, as was outlined in the indictments. And so, it’s not like he’s doing this out of spite. He’s doing this because he wants to have a clean and authentic relationship with New Yorkers going forward.”The former mayor was indicted for allegedly taking bribes and soliciting illegal campaign contributions from “wealthy foreign businesspeople” and Turkish officials. The Trump Justice Department later dropped the charges. Adams has denied all wrongdoing.Multiple prosecutors resigned in protest over the decision to squash the corruption allegations, with one alleging that Adams had been “rewarded” for “an improper offer of immigration enforcement assistance in exchange for a dismissal of his case.”The post Israel Accuses Zohran Mamdani of Antisemitism for Reversing Orders Adams Gave Under Indictment appeared first on The Intercept.