Mayor Adams signed a enterprise engagement settlement with Israel’s authorities on Monday, in search of to attract a pointy distinction with native progressive Democrats calling for divesting from the nation over its army marketing campaign in Gaza.
Adams, who has centered his reelection bid on a have to fight antisemitism within the metropolis, signed the settlement with Israeli Financial Minister Nir Barkat whereas showing collectively on the Jerusalem Submit convention in Manhattan.
The settlement establishes a council, staffed by Metropolis Corridor and Israeli authorities reps, tasked with discovering methods to “enhance economic cooperation.” Particularly, the panel will “support Israeli companies” in search of to arrange store in New York, with a concentrate on companies within the synthetic intelligence, life sciences and environmental innovation sectors, per the settlement.
Mayor Eric Adams, heart, on the Jerusalem Convention hosted in New York Metropolis on Sunday, Might 18, 2025. (Benny Polatseck / Mayoral Pictures Workplace)
The conflict in Gaza has prompted rising calls throughout the globe for sanctions towards Israel. In New York, progressive politicians, together with mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, have voiced help for pulling U.S. funding and investments from Israel.
In remarks earlier than signing the settlement, Adams pushed again towards these calls and aligned himself with Israel, whereas referring to Barkat, a member of Netanyahu’s ruling right-wing social gathering, as his “good friend” and “brother.”
“Several politicians in this city and some running for mayor have called for the disinvestment in Israel. Well, they got another thing coming,” he mentioned, including that town will proceed to foster enterprise ties with Israel “as long as I am mayor.”
Adams has made help for Israel a key focus of his bid for a second time period, an effort that stands to curry favor with town’s politically influential Jewish Orthodox neighborhood.
Amid fallout from the Trump administration’s controversial dismissal of his corruption indictment, Adams dropped out of the Democratic mayoral major final month and introduced he’s as a substitute in search of reelection as an impartial in November’s basic election, operating on an “EndAntiSemitism” poll line.
Monday’s announcement comes after Adams launched a brand new Workplace to Fight Antisemitism final week that he says will, partly, concentrate on pulling any metropolis funding from nonprofits his administration deems antisemitic.
