New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani broke with tradition by not attending the annual Israel Day Parade held on Sunday. The event, which has taken place for decades along Fifth Avenue, typically features participation from the city’s governor, mayor, and other political leaders. This year marked the first time a sitting New York City mayor chose not to join the parade, citing solidarity with Palestinians.

Two weeks earlier, the mayor’s office released a video commemorating Nakba, an Arabic term meaning “catastrophe,” referring to the displacement of about 700,000 Palestinians during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. At a press conference on Thursday, Mamdani reiterated that he had pledged during his campaign not to attend the parade and had made his views on the Israeli government clear.

Despite his absence, Mamdani assured that the parade would proceed peacefully and without disruption. New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, who is Jewish, attended the event.