Republican mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa said it is time for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to leave office following a recent poll [1].
The statement highlights a shifting perception among Jewish Americans regarding leadership in both New York City and Israel. This tension emerges as local political figures and international leaders face contrasting levels of support within the same electorate [2].
According to an Associated Press-NORC poll, Jewish Americans view New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani more favorably than they view Netanyahu [1, 3]. The data suggests a preference for the city's mayor over the prime minister's current standing among this demographic [3].
Sliwa reacted to these findings by targeting the Israeli leader's tenure. "It's time for Bibi to go," Sliwa said [1].
The poll reflects a broader trend in how the Jewish American community evaluates political figures. While Netanyahu has long been a central figure in Israeli-U.S. relations, the rise in favorability for Mamdani indicates a divergence in priorities, or approval of governance styles [2, 3].
Sliwa's comments come amid his own pursuit of the mayoral office in New York City. By linking the poll results to the necessity of a leadership change in Israel, Sliwa connects local sentiment to international political pressure [1, 2].
“"It's time for Bibi to go,"”
This development signals a potential fracture in the traditional alignment between conservative U.S. political figures and the Israeli premiership. When a Republican candidate uses data showing a preference for a progressive mayor like Mamdani to call for Netanyahu's resignation, it suggests that the political calculus regarding the Israeli leader's viability is shifting even among those who typically align with his party.
