Mayor Zohran Mamdani has boycotted New York's Israel Day Parade, the first leader of the US city to be absent from the annual march in decades.
Thousands of people rallied through the streets of Manhattan at noon, waving Israeli flags and blue and white balloons, with some wearing shirts with the slogan "I love Israel".
The parade has been held annually since the 1960s in solidarity. New York is home to the largest Jewish urban population outside Israel, counting some one million Jewish citizens.
Mamdani, who took office at the start of the year, justified his decision not to participate with his stance on the Israeli government.
"I said on the campaign trail that I wouldn't be attending the parade, and I've made my views on the Israeli government abundantly clear," he said earlier this week.
Mamdani, New York's first Muslim mayor, is known for his pro-Palestinian stance. He has accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza and of systematically violating the rights of Palestinians.
He has also condemned the Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023, as "a horrific war crime", stressing that he is committed to equal rights for Israelis and Palestinians.
Israel's ambassador to the UN Danny Danon accused Mamdani of "turn[ing] his back on tens of thousands of Jews and supporters of Israel" with his decision not to join the march.
Former Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett also condemned Mamdani for the move.
"The mayor of New York City has cowardly chosen not to attend, and that sends a message. To him, I would say: leadership means showing up for all New Yorkers, including the Jews who call this city home," Bennett wrote on X.
"Today, thousands of New Yorkers will march in celebration of Israel. Not because they agree with every policy or every government, but because Israel is the homeland of the Jewish people, the world's only Jewish state, and a source of pride, refuge, and belonging for millions of Jews."
