Jerusalem, Nov 08: The election of Zohran Mamdani as New York City’s next mayor has sent a chill across Israel as people come to terms with the victory of a politician propelled by an outspoken pro-Palestinian message that is rare in US politics.

Israelis across the political spectrum fear that Mamdani’s election — in the city with the world’s second-largest Jewish population — could foreshadow icier relations with the US, Israel’s most important ally. Support for Mamdani from almost one-third of Jewish voters only added to the pain.

“Very bad,” said Hana Jaeger, a Jerusalem resident, assessing the news the day after the election. “For the Jews, for Israel, for everyone, it’s very bad. What else can you say?”

Mamdani’s campaign was animated by an array of local economic issues, such as the lack of affordable child care and housing.

But in Israel, his pro-Palestinian platform is all that matters, and it was the strongest illustration yet of a change in attitudes showing a softening of support for Israel among the American public — particularly younger, Democratic voters. This change appears to have been expedited by anger over the brutal war in Gaza launched in response to Hamas’ October 2023 attack on Israel.

Israeli government officials expressed their outrage sharply, labelling Mamdani, who is Muslim, as an Israel-hating antisemite. Analysts said their heavy-handed reactions indicated just how concerned they are about the shifting political winds.

“Even where there is a huge concentration of Jewish power, Jewish money, Jewish cultural and political influence — even in this place, an American can be elected with a clear anti-Israeli label on his lapel,” wrote Shmuel Rosner, an analyst at the Jewish People Policy Institute.

“What he did proves that standing up against Israel … can be politically profitable, or at least not harmful.”

Israelis react to the news

Israel has traditionally had a special connection with New York City. It is a popular destination for Israeli tourists and politicians, filled with kosher restaurants and home to an Israeli consulate that focuses heavily on relations with the Jewish community. Hebrew can often be heard on the streets and subways.

But throughout his campaign, the 34-year-old Mamdani, a far-left state lawmaker, alarmed Israelis by openly disavowing the pro-Israel stance traditionally adopted by New York’s mayoral hopefuls.

While he says he supports Israel’s right to exist, he describes any state or social hierarchy that favours Jews over others as incompatible with his belief in universal human rights.

That’s a statement many Israelis view as an affront to the core premise of the country, which was founded as a refuge and homeland for Jews in the aftermath of the Holocaust.

This vision has tested Israel’s democratic ideals; Palestinian citizens of Israel frequently suffer discrimination, and millions of Palestinians live under Israeli occupation in the West Bank.

Mamdani also has called the war in Gaza a genocide, a charge Israel’s government denies. He’s vowed to arrest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if the premier steps foot in the city and signalled he may cut ties with Israeli industry and academia over the devastating war in Gaza.

Such views have drawn accusations of antisemitism from mainstream Jewish groups and supporters of Israel. Still, Mamdani has repeatedly committed to fighting antisemitism and developed strong alliances with centre-left Jewish leaders. The AP Voter Poll found that he won roughly 30 per cent of the Jewish vote.

At his celebration party Tuesday night, Mamdani said, “we will build a City Hall that stands steadfast alongside Jewish New Yorkers and does not waver in the fight against the scourge of antisemitism.”

Israelis who tuned in Wednesday morning to the country’s popular Army Radio station during their morning commutes heard condemnations — and fear — related to Mamdani’s victory.

Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, speculated that the New York “Jewish community’s sense of security” might be harmed by Mamdani as mayor, as he has control over the city’s police force.

Israel’s minister of diaspora affairs, Amichai Chikli, a member of Netanyahu’s nationalist Likud party, posted a stream of anti-Mamdani graphics on social media, including a retweeted photo of the Twin Towers being engulfed in flames after the attacks of September 11, 2001, with the caption “New York already forgot.”

Chikli also encouraged Jews in New York to relocate to Israel. “The city that was once a symbol of global freedom has handed over its keys to a Hamas supporter,” he said in a social media post.

The extreme rhetoric reflected a deep-seated fear in Israel that American politics are headed in a new direction.

“For a long, long time, American domestic politics were dominated by pro-Israel politicians, pro-Israel views. In large part, they still are,” said Mairav Zonszein, a senior analyst with the International Crisis Group. “Mamdani’s win represents that American Jews, specifically the younger generation, are changing and there’s no longer this monopoly of pro-Israel politics in domestic US politics.”

Netanyahu mostly quiet on Mamdani, emphasises relationship with Trump

The Trump administration, which has been hostile to Mamdani, has largely supported Israel’s actions in Gaza. It is now working closely with Israel to determine the next phases of the reconstruction of Gaza and the ceasefire with Hamas.

Netanyahu did not immediately comment on the Mamdani win. But his office tried Wednesday to remind Israelis that the country’s relationship with the US was still strong.

“We have a bond that is stronger than ever between Israel and the United States right now,” government spokeswoman Shosh Bedrosian said at her daily briefing.

She said the election results did not “undermine the incredible, enormous relationship the prime minister has with President Trump.”

Palestinians celebrate Mamdani’s win

In the Israeli-occupied West Bank, the sentiment among Palestinians was far from gloomy.

“The election of Mr. Mamdani is truly inspiring,” said Palestinian politician Mustafa Barghouti. “It reflects a great uprising among the younger generation of the United States, including the Jewish young generation, against political and social injustice.”

“It also shows that the Palestinian issue has become an internal election issue all over the world, including in the United States of America.”

Islamabad, Nov 08: Peace talks between Pakistan and Afghan Taliban ended without any agreement to tackle the thorny issues of cross-border terrorism as the deadlock persisted, according to top officials.

The third round of talks began on Thursday and continued for two days but it failed to get a written commitment from Kabul to take action against Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants accused of launching an attack against Pakistan by using Afghan soil.

Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif told a private TV channel on Friday night that the negotiations were suspended, with “no programme for the fourth round of talks”.

“There is a complete deadlock. The negotiations have entered an indefinite phase,” he said, reported Geo TV.

The minister thanked Turkiye and Qatar for their “sincere efforts” to mediate tensions between the two neighbouring countries.

“They support our stance. Even the Afghan delegation agreed with us; however, they were not ready to sign a written agreement,” he said, adding that Pakistan would accept only a formal, written accord.

“They wanted verbal assurances to be accepted, which is not possible in international negotiations,” he noted.

Asif said the mediators had done their best but eventually lost hope.

“If they had even a little optimism, they would have asked us to stay. Our return empty-handed shows that even they have given up on Kabul,” he said.

The minister reiterated that Pakistan’s position remained firm and clear.

“Our only demand is that Afghanistan must ensure its soil is not used for attacks on Pakistan,” he said.

He warned that Pakistan would respond if provoked.

“If there is any attack from Afghan soil, we will respond accordingly,” he said, adding that as long as there is no aggression, the ceasefire will remain intact.

Separately, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said on X on Saturday morning that the onus lies on Afghan Taliban to fulfil its long-standing international, regional, and bilateral pledges, regarding control of terrorism, in which so far they have failed.

“Pakistan does not harbour any ill-will against the Afghan people. However, it shall never support the Afghan Taliban regime’s any measures that are detrimental to the interests of the Afghan people as well as the neighbouring countries,” Tarar said.

The minister added that Pakistan will continue to safeguard its citizens and sovereignty.

The talks began on October 29 in Doha with both Qatar and Turkiye mediating between the two sides following armed clashes between October 11 and 15, which caused human losses on both sides.

The first round ended without any tangible progress, but the two sides agreed to another round on October 25 in Istanbul, which also remained fruitless. The third and latest round also met the same fate.

Washington, Nov 08: Airlines across the United States cancelled hundreds of flights as the continuing government shutdown deepened strains on the nation’s air travel system.

As of midday Friday, some 780 flights or roughly 3 per cent of the 25,000 scheduled nationwide had been cancelled, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium. Cancellations could accelerate sharply in the coming days as more air traffic controllers are forced to seek other employment due to unpaid work.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned that flight reductions could surge to as much as 20 per cent by the Thanksgiving holiday if the crisis persists.

“If this continues, and I have more controllers who decide they can’t come to work and control the airspace, but instead have to take a second job, with that, you might see 10 per cent would have been a good number, because we might go to 15 per cent or 20 per cent,” Duffy said in an interview with Fox News. “This is a moment-by-moment assessment,” he added. “We’re doing all we can to make sure travellers are safe as they move through the airspace.”

Air traffic controllers, designated as essential workers, are required to work even without pay.

For now, the Department of Transportation has implemented a tiered reduction plan that will raise mandated flight cuts to 6 per cent on Tuesday, 8 per cent on Thursday, and 10 per cent next Friday.

Among US carriers, American Airlines said it expects to cancel about 220 flights a day through the weekend. Delta cancelled 173 flights, while United cut 184 flights.

At Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Washington, travellers faced significant delays on Friday, with average wait times reaching four hours, according to a Federal Aviation Administration advisory.

Airport officials urged passengers to check flight status frequently and prepare for longer waits, as disruptions appeared likely to worsen heading into the busy holiday travel season.