\u201cI don\u2019t think we should purchase Israel bonds; we don\u2019t purchase bonds for any other sovereign nation\u2019s debt,\u201d blurred Mayor Zohran Mamdani in his latest bid to fudge one of his anti-Israel positions as simply enforcing some neutral rule.<\/p>\n
His take on city Comptroller Mark Levine\u2019s comment that he may invest some city pension-fund cash in Israeli debt is a half-truth that disguises an ugly lie. <\/p>\n
New York City doesn\u2019t make direct purchases of other countries\u2019 bonds, but it has billions invested in bond funds that include significant holdings in foreign nations\u2019 debt.<\/p>\n
The city holds \u201cmillions in sovereign debt in several other countries, through our asset managers,\u201d Levine\u2019s office confirms.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s only Mamdani\u2019s latest dodge; his first day in office, he canceled a pack of Mayor Eric Adams\u2019 executive orders with a story about how they were tainted by his federal prosecution; in fact, that was pseudo-legalese cover<\/a> so the new administration can adopt anti-Israel Boycott, Disinvest, Sanction policies.<\/p>\n He pretends to be consummately rational, when he\u2019s actually so biased it\u2019s a wonder he doesn\u2019t topple over.<\/p>\n \t\t\tMore From\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPost Editorial Board<\/p>\n During the transition, after protesters mobbed an Upper East Side synagogue<\/a>, blocking the entrance and screaming at congregants, Mamdani\u2019s spokesperson issued a bland statement blaming the victims as well as the perps: The then-mayor-elect \u201cbelieves every New Yorker should be free to enter a house of worship without intimidation,\u201d but \u201cthese sacred spaces should not be used to promote activities in violation of international law.\u201d<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\tGet opinions and commentary from our columnists\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe to our daily Post Opinion newsletter!\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\tThanks for signing up!\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n What activities in violation of international law? The synagogue was hosting an informational session about moving to Israel, which the protesters characterized as a \u201csale of stolen land.\u201d<\/p>\n No land was for sale at the event, and even if some had been, it\u2019s not up to mayors to interpret international law, much less enforce it: All hizzoner need worry about is police protection of a house of worship, period.<\/p>\n The same overstep underlies Mamdani\u2019s vows to arrest Benjamin Netanyahu<\/a> when he comes to town, in defiance of US law; it\u2019s just a skin of justification for what he\u2019s already decided to do.<\/p>\n