Mamdani Claims NYPD Boots Laced by IDF: U.S. Police and Israel Ties Revealed

The Controversy Surrounding Zohran Mamdani's Comments

New York mayoral frontrunner Zohran Mamdani recently resurfaced a remark that has sparked renewed concerns among Jewish voters about his potential administration’s stance on Israel. Mamdani, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), made the comment during an August 2023 conference. He stated, “When the boot of the NYPD is on your neck, it’s been laced by the IDF.” This statement has raised questions about the relationship between the Israeli military and U.S. police departments.

Mamdani explained that he was referring to training exercises between the New York Police Department (NYPD) and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). He emphasized that he did not suggest a close collaboration between the two entities. However, American Jewish leaders have widely criticized the comments, with Rabbi Angela Buchdahl, head of the Central Synagogue in New York, calling it a contribution to mainstreaming antisemitism.

The Broader Context of Police Training and Israeli Influence

The image of an NYPD boot laced by an IDF soldier evokes a broader claim that the militarism and brutality of American law enforcement were imported from Israel through police training programs. This idea gained traction after the 2020 murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer, Derek Chauvin. Since then, the relationship between American police departments and Israel has become a subject of ongoing criticism.

Critics argue that Israel’s law enforcement practices promote aggressive surveillance, discrimination, and violent intervention, which infringe on human rights. However, it is important to note that police aggression in the U.S. predates Israel’s founding. Groups like Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) caution against the notion that Israel is the origin of American police violence or racism, stating that such claims obscure the fundamental responsibility of the U.S. and further an antisemitic ideology.

Historical Roots of the Relationship

American law enforcement’s relationship with Israel dates back to the 1990s but accelerated after 9/11. In September 2002, the Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA) organized a trip for high-ranking law enforcement officials from major U.S. metro areas to Israel. They observed methods and techniques related to terrorism deterrence and response, including bomb disposal, forensics, crowd control, and coordination with the media and public.

Since then, these trips have become routine. As of 2020, over 1,000 American police officers had participated in similar training visits. JINSA is not the only group organizing these trips; the Anti-Defamation League and the Georgia International Law Enforcement Exchange have also led such programs.

JINSA maintains that its trips focus on management and policy issues, not physical tactics. However, groups opposing the visits argue that observers witness live demonstrations of repressive violence during these exchanges.

Direct Collaboration Between NYPD and Israel

In addition to the training trips, there is a more direct collaboration between the NYPD and Israel. The NYPD has had an office — reportedly consisting of a single officer — at the Israeli police headquarters since 2012 as part of counterterrorism efforts.

Backlash and Criticism

One group leading opposition to the trips is JVP, which published a 57-page report titled “Deadly Exchange” in 2018. The report documented what officers encounter on the trips, such as surveillance systems in Jerusalem and tactics used in the U.S. It also cited examples like the use of Skunk spray in Ferguson after seeing it deployed in Israel.

While not all claims in the report are substantiated, it became a proof text following George Floyd’s death, when Black Lives Matter protesters built coalitions with the pro-Palestinian resistance. Protesters pointed to the attendance of Minneapolis police officers at a security exchange conference at the Israeli Consulate in Chicago in 2012.

However, records show that neck restraints had been used in MPD training since at least 2002, and it is unclear whether Israeli officials taught the chokehold at the conference or if Chauvin attended.

Conclusion

The charge of Israeli influence has become a simple explanation for complicated, maddening, and seemingly unsolvable American institutional dysfunction. As Mamdani said in 2023, it is a convenient way to make international concerns feel "hyper-local." The debate continues, with critics and supporters offering differing perspectives on the impact of Israeli training on U.S. law enforcement.