Mayor Eric Adams of New York City on Monday met with Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, on his second visit to Israel in three years, seeking to reinforce his support for the country and his concern about rising antisemitism as his tenure nears an end.
Mr. Adams, a Democrat, met with Mr. Netanyahu at the Kirya military base in Tel Aviv. Details of the discussion were not made public, but both sides characterized it positively.
The two leaders “discussed the fight against antisemitism and the unbreakable bond between New York City and Israel,” Mr. Adams said on social media. “We stand strong, proud, and united against antisemitism and all other forms of hate.”
Mr. Netanyahu’s office said in a statement that he “thanked Mayor Adams for his great support for Israel and for being a true friend of the Jewish people.” He posted photos from the meeting online showing the leaders sitting across from each other at a table and smiling as they stood in front of the American and Israeli flags.
The mayor met Mr. Netanyahu on the third day of his taxpayer-funded excursion to Israel, a trip that has included meetings with government officials and business leaders and visits to religious sites.
But it was clear that Mr. Adams was also intent on drawing a contrast between himself and Zohran Mamdani, New York City’s mayor-elect, who has criticized Israel. On Sunday, Mr. Adams said that Jewish New Yorkers should be worried about their safety under Mr. Mamdani.
The mayor, who has roughly six weeks left in office, doubled down on that message on Monday.
“I’m not going to lie to New Yorkers. I know what I’m seeing,” he told reporters when asked about Mr. Mamdani, speaking hours before his meeting with Mr. Netanyahu. “Other people will sugarcoat this moment, and I’m not going to do that. I’m not going to lie, and I’m not going to pretend as though everything is fine.”
Mr. Mamdani has repeatedly denounced antisemitism and said he would increase funding to combat hate crimes. A spokeswoman for Mr. Mamdani said that he was “proud to earn the support of hundreds of thousands of Jewish New Yorkers and looks forward to both protecting and celebrating all Jewish New Yorkers as the next mayor of this city.”
Mr. Mamdani, who will be the city’s first Muslim mayor, has described Israel’s actions in Gaza as a genocide, a claim also made by a United Nations commission and many human rights groups. He has pledged to arrest Mr. Netanyahu if the prime minister visits New York City and to honor a warrant issued for him by the International Criminal Court.
That pledge was not discussed at the meeting between Mr. Adams and Mr. Netanyahu, Mr. Levy said. They were joined by Ofir Akunis, Israel’s Consul General in New York. Mr. Adams also met with Mr. Netanyahu during a previous trip to Israel as mayor in August 2023, less than two months before the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks.
Earlier on Monday, Mr. Adams gave a brief news conference at a hotel in Jerusalem, followed by an interview with Kan, the Israeli public broadcaster. Mr. Adams said the purpose of his trip was “to ensure Jewish New Yorkers and our friends here in the Middle East, Israelis, that I’m leaving City Hall, but I’m going nowhere.”
He also said that he was meeting with Israeli officials “to assure them that 49 percent of New Yorkers do not buy into the rhetoric of the hatred toward Israel,” apparently referring to the percentage of voters who did not support Mr. Mamdani in this month’s election.
Views about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict have shifted in New York City, which is home to the largest Jewish population outside Israel. Voters now broadly sympathize with Palestinians over Israelis in the conflict, according to a recent survey by The New York Times and Siena University.
Some have denounced the mayor’s inflammatory remarks about Mr. Mamdani and questioned the necessity of another taxpayer-funded trip after he traveled to Albania last month.
Basil Smikle, a former executive director of the New York State Democratic Party, said that the mayor’s comments on the trip showed that “he’s not going to go out quietly.” Instead of seeking common ground with Mr. Mamdani ahead of his inauguration on Jan. 1, Mr. Adams seems determined to highlight their differences, Mr. Smikle said.
“The right thing to do would be to prepare the next administration for success,” he said.
At the same time, Mr. Adams has boasted about his next career steps, speaking of writing a book, pursuing a doctoral degree and advising other countries. He told reporters on Election Day that he looked forward to traveling more.
“Countries are calling me and asking me to do what I did in New York City,” he said. “There’s an amazing opportunity that’s waiting for me. And then I don’t have to deal with you guys. I can fly private now. I can go on a cruise. I can hang out in St. Barts.”
Emma G. Fitzsimmons is the City Hall bureau chief for The Times, covering Mayor Eric Adams and his administration.
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