The New York City mayor’s office launched the NYC-Israel Economic Council on Wednesday in an effort to encourage private investment between the city and the Jewish state.
Eric Adams, the mayor of New York City, told JNS that the council “reflects the enduring partnership between our governments.”
“Israel is not only one of New York City’s closest international partners, but a key economic ally, with shared priorities in emerging sectors like artificial intelligence, technology and climate innovation,” Adams told JNS.
“That’s why while some chose to walk away from this important relationship, we’re leaning in—launching our first-of-its-kind New York City-Israel Economic Council to deepen ties, share insights and help Israeli startups establish a home here in New York City,” he said.
Anat Katz, head of the Israeli economic mission in the United States, told attendees at the launch ceremony on Wednesday afternoon, which Adams did not attend, that U.S.-Israel ties had become more important since Oct. 7.
“People go, ‘Oh, yeah Israel, we love Israel. We support Israel.’ That’s nice. That’s lovely,” she said. “But I think in the past two years, people saying that has become so much more meaningful. People saying that has become much more than courtesy.”
“People saying that has become so much more significant, and especially when people actually mean it,” she added. “We know that you guys mean it.”
When New York City’s and Israel’s governments agreed to form the council in May, they said it would facilitate business partnerships between companies in the city and state, help Israeli businesses that want to operate in the city, coordinate taking part in business and technology conferences and promote technology collaboration. The latter, they said, include “environmental innovation, life sciences and artificial intelligence.”
The council’s formation is another pro-Israel bona fide for Adams, who is running for re-election as an independent and who many see as the most pro-Israel of the current and former Democrats in the race.
The Democratic nominee, Zohran Mamdani, a state representative who identifies as a socialist, is deeply critical of Israel, repeatedly declined to condemn the phrase “globalize the intifada” during the primary and has said that he would arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if the premier came to New York City. (The International Criminal Court, in The Hague, issued a warrant for Netanyahu, which Israel and the U.S. government have rejected.)
Andrew Cuomo, a former New York governor who is also running as an independent, ran as a strongly pro-Israel candidate during the Democratic primary but appeared to wobble during an interview with Bloomberg News on Tuesday.
“Do I support what the Israel government is doing vis-à-vis Gaza? No,” Cuomo said. “Do I support Israel impeding humanitarian aid? No.”
Hours later he walked back the comment, telling the New York Times that he was merely “airing what some people feel.”
“You have some people who feel that Israel is not acting appropriately,” Cuomo said. “That’s their opinion.”
Adams jumped on the comments during a press conference on Wednesday.
“He seemed to be walking back a lot of things,” the mayor said of Cuomo. “Walking back bail reform, walking back cannabis law, walking back, walking back. You know, people just need to be true to who they are, and I’m true to who I am.”
“What I do know is that Hamas needs to be destroyed, every hostage should come home and we should do as much as possible so that innocent children are not dying in any land, including in the Middle East,” Adams said.
