Mayor Zohran Mamdani planted an olive tree at Gracie Mansion on Wednesday night with Palestinian families from Gaza, whom he hosted for dinner at the mayor’s official residence on the Upper East Side. “Last night I planted an olive tree at Gracie Mansion with Palestinian families from Gaza. May peace be our future,” Mamdani wrote Thursday, sharing a video of the evening.
The guests included Palestinian New Yorkers who have lost family members in Gaza and refugees who had to leave their homes, according to the Mayor’s Office. The gathering was meant to honor their contributions to the city and acknowledge the losses they have endured, the office said.
Mamdani posted the video on the day Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the U.N. General Assembly. In the speech, Netanyahu attacked Mamdani, calling him “the antisemitic mayor of New York.”
A few blocks south of U.N. headquarters, protesters sat in the street at First Avenue and East 39th Street to demand an end to U.S. arms to Israel and the genocide in Gaza, and 104 people were arrested. Jewish Voice for Peace, which organized the sit-in, said 400 people took part.
Three North Brooklyn officials were among those arrested: Council Member Jennifer Gutiérrez, whose district covers parts of Williamsburg, Bushwick and Ridgewood; Council Member Chi Ossé, who represents Bedford-Stuyvesant and Crown Heights; and Assembly Member Emily Gallagher, who represents Greenpoint and Williamsburg. Ossé posted a photo of himself in handcuffs with the caption “Free Palestine. Netanyahu burn in hell.”
Featured image: Image: NYC Mayor's Office video
