NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani Dines at Restaurant Linked to Controversial Menu
The restaurant chain has previously faced criticism for menu items, including the phrase "From the River to the Sea."
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani dined on Wednesday at Ayat Hinds Hall, a Palestinian restaurant whose sister location faced criticism in 2023 for menu language that critics deemed anti-Semitic.
The restaurant chain, which also has a location in Brooklyn, drew sharp backlash for featuring a section on its menu titled "From the River to the Sea." The Anti-Defamation League defines this phrase as an implicit call for the eradication of Israel. The menu also included phrases such as "Down with the occupation" and depicted a map that refers to the West Bank, Gaza, Jerusalem, and Israel as Palestine.
Following the controversy in 2023, some critics accused the restaurant of being "opening genocidal" toward Jewish people. However, owner Abdul Elenani stated that the phrase had been on the menu months prior to Hamas's October 7 attack on Israel. Elenani has also stated his support for a two-state solution and condemned violence on both sides, and in 2024, organized a free Shabbat dinner for hundreds of guests.
Mamdani’s dinner occurred shortly after he faced backlash from pro-Palestinian demonstrators during a vigil marking the third anniversary of the October 7 attacks. Protesters reportedly booed the mayor, calling him a "traitor" and accusing him of enabling genocide.
Mamdani, a vocal critic of Israel's military campaign in Gaza, has previously characterized Israel's actions in Gaza as genocide. Speaking to reporters on Thursday, he maintained his stance while calling for universal empathy.
"I believe that there must be room to mourn every single life," Mamdani said. "There must be room to mourn the lives of the more than 1,100 that Hamas killed three years ago; there must be room to mourn the 74,000 Palestinians that the Israeli government has killed since."