GOP’s Mike Lawler spars with Democrat challenger over antisemitism, Israel in NY House race

US Representative Mike Lawler, a Republican from New York, and Democrat Cait Conley, his challenger, recently debated, focusing on their stances on antisemitism and Israel. Lawler criticized Conley for not condemning New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's views on Israel. Mamdani has been accused of being anti-Israel and has faced criticism from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Conley expressed her disgust at rising antisemitism within both parties, describing it as "fundamentally un-American." She voiced support for the bipartisan Jewish American Security Act, which Lawler also backs. However, Conley refused to condemn Mamdani. Lawler emphasized Israel's importance as a US ally, describing it as a "beacon of hope and opportunity and freedom and democracy."

Mamdani has announced measures to curb antisemitism in New York, including doubling hate crime prevention funding and investing $1 million to strengthen security at synagogues. Some Jewish leaders welcomed his plan, while others criticized it for not defining antisemitism and its overlap with anti-Zionism. According to the New York police, antisemitic incidents surged by 182% between January 2025 and January 2026.

Brief written by urgent.news from The Times of Israel, Jerusalem Post, Free Malaysia Today, Haaretz — 4 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.