Democrats who marched in New York’s Israel Day parade decry attendance of far-right minister Smotrich

Several prominent New York Democrats who participated in the city’s annual Israel Day parade on Sunday have condemned the participation of Bezalel Smotrich, the far-right Israeli finance minister and a leading figure in the Israeli settler movement, in the event. Smotrich was among several Israeli lawmakers and cabinet officials who marched in the parade on Sunday. His appearance marked his first trip to the US in more than a year , and came less than month after he said the international criminal court (ICC) was seeking an arrest warrant against him. The parade drew a broad roster of New York political leaders, including the New York senator Chuck Schumer; the House representatives Dan Goldman and Jerry Nadler ; New York’s governor, Kathy Hochul ; the state’s attorney general, Letitia James ; the Bronx borough president, Vanessa Gibson ; the city council speaker, Julie Menin ; the city’s comptroller, Mark Levine ; and others. New York City’s mayor, Zohran Mamdani, drew criticism from pro-Israel figures for declining to attend , citing his opposition to the Israeli government. In the aftermath of the event, several high-profile attenders released statements distancing themselves from Smotrich, saying they were unaware that he would be present and publicly denouncing him. …