Mayor Adams signed a business engagement agreement with Israel’s government on Monday, seeking to draw a sharp contrast with local progressive Democrats calling for divesting from the country over its military campaign in Gaza.
Adams, who has centered his reelection bid on a need to combat antisemitism in the city, signed the agreement with Israeli Economic Minister Nir Barkat while appearing together at the Jerusalem Post conference in Manhattan.
The agreement establishes a council, staffed by City Hall and Israeli government reps, tasked with finding ways to “enhance economic cooperation.” Specifically, the panel will “support Israeli companies” seeking to set up shop in New York, with a focus on firms in the artificial intelligence, life sciences and environmental innovation sectors, per the agreement.
The war in Gaza has prompted growing calls across the globe for sanctions against Israel. In New York, progressive politicians, including mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, have voiced support for pulling U.S. funding and investments from Israel.
In remarks before signing the agreement, Adams pushed back against those calls and aligned himself with Israel, while referring to Barkat, a member of Netanyahu’s ruling right-wing party, 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 said, adding that the city will continue to foster business ties with Israel “as long as I am mayor.”
Adams has made support for Israel a key focus of his bid for a second term, an effort that stands to curry favor with the city’s politically influential Jewish Orthodox community.
Amid fallout from the Trump administration’s controversial dismissal of his corruption indictment, Adams dropped out of the Democratic mayoral primary last month and announced he’s instead seeking reelection as an independent in November’s general election, running on an “EndAntiSemitism” ballot line.
Monday’s announcement comes after Adams launched a new Office to Combat Antisemitism last week that he says will, in part, focus on pulling any city funding from nonprofits his administration deems antisemitic.
