“Today marks Nakba Day, an annual day of remembrance to commemorate the expulsion of more than 700,000 Palestinians between 1947 and 1949 during the creation of the State of Israel and the year that followed.”
On 15 May this month, NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani shared the above statement on social media, potentially making it one of the most widely circulated accounts of the Nakba by an American politician. For Palestinians, this was likely a relief, as their suffering has largely been ignored on the US political scene. With one post, the Nakba transformed from a mere chant at pro-Palestine protests into a familiar term in American households. A survivor’s testimony shared with the post gave public expression to long-suppressed grief.
Not surprisingly, Jewish and pro-Israeli groups quickly criticised Mamdani, making the claim that it was one-sided. However, these groups should take note: less than a month ago, Mamdani also outraged Turkish Americans when he recognised the 111th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. He commemorated the “1.5 million Armenians murdered by the Ottoman Empire,” and criticised Azerbaijan and Türkiye for “continuing the genocidal campaign that had begun over 100 years prior” through attacks on the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh.
Taken together, these statements suggest that Mamdani is motivated by a genuine desire to give voice to oppressed communities and their silenced histories. Sadly, in the polarised climate following October 7, nearly every discussion of Israel and Palestine is framed as an either/or choice, turning the conflict into a zero-sum moral contest.
But even in this binary environment, Mamdani’s statement likely resonated with the growing number of Israelis who think that recognising the Nakba is an important first step toward reconciliation.
