Top New York Democrats who marched in the city's Israel Day parade on Sunday quickly moved to condemn the presence of Bezalel Smotrich, Israel's far-right finance minister and a prominent figure in the settler movement, in what became an awkward display of political damage control.
Governor Kathy Hochul, Attorney General Letitia James, Senator Chuck Schumer, and House representatives Dan Goldman and Jerry Nadler were among the major political figures who participated in the event. After Smotrich's attendance became known, several released statements insisting they had no advance warning and denouncing him in sharp terms.
Hochul called Smotrich "a far-right extremist whose hateful and divisive rhetoric is fundamentally at odds with the values we hold dear in New York." James stated that "Islamophobia has no place in New York" and said she "unequivocally condemn[s] Bezalel Smotrich's hateful rhetoric." A spokesperson for Schumer emphasized the senator's "longstanding, public and unchanged" opposition to what they called Smotrich's extremism.
Smotrich's appearance marked his first trip to the United States in over a year. The parade, held on Sunday, also included other Israeli government ministers from far-right parties. The event drew New York's major political establishment, including Mayor Eric Adams, New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin, and Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson.
Questions immediately surfaced about how Smotrich secured access to the parade. Mark Treyger, chief executive of the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York, which organized the event, told the New York Times that neither he nor the organization knew Smotrich and other far-right officials would attend. Treyger said the Israeli consulate general in New York brought them to the parade without informing the organizers.
"There was a complete lack of transparency here," Treyger said, noting that he did not learn of Smotrich's presence until near the event's end. In a Monday statement on social media, Treyger added that "participation in the parade is not an endorsement of any political figure or ideology" and stated the JCRC-NY rejects "rhetoric that dehumanizes others, fuels division, or diminishes the dignity of any human being."
Dan Shapiro, a former U.S. ambassador to Israel, characterized Smotrich as uninvited. "He crashed it," Shapiro said, adding that "his extremist views do harm to the U.S.-Israel relationship."
Smotrich has called for Israel to annex the West Bank and for Palestinian villages there to undergo ethnic cleansing. He has also called for Gaza to be "destroyed" and described himself as a "proud homophobe." Last year, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Norway imposed sanctions on Smotrich and Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, citing their roles in inciting extremist violence and abusing Palestinian rights.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani chose not to attend the parade, citing opposition to the Israeli government. On Monday, he said he was "offended" by Smotrich's participation and other Israeli officials' attendance, describing it as representing "a vision of annihilation, a complicity in genocide." His police commissioner, Jessica Tisch, marched in the parade. Mamdani authorized extensive police security for the event while allowing members of his administration to decide their own participation.
The episode exposed fractures among pro-Israel Democrats navigating increasingly hostile voter sentiment toward Israel following the war in Gaza. Former New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, now running for Congress against Goldman in a Democratic primary, skipped the parade entirely. During a primary debate on Monday, the two candidates clashed sharply on Israel policy.
Goldman defended his attendance, saying he marched "to celebrate the nation and state of Israel" while stressing this was "distinct from its government." He claimed ignorance of Smotrich's attendance and said he had called for the minister's removal and for sanctions against him. Lander countered by pointing to what he called Israel's genocide in Gaza and violations of international law, saying he opposes additional U.S. military aid and won't march "alongside government ministers in Netanyahu's government like Bezalel Smotrich."
Author James Rodriguez: "The parade fiasco exposed the real crisis facing pro-Israel Democrats, one that can't be fixed with hastily issued statements. When your political allies include far-right ministers who openly support ethnic cleansing, distance is just theater."
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