New York City Mayor Eric Adams emphasized during his visit to Israel this week that he does not believe that it is his place to interfere in matters of internal Israeli politics.

“I think the people of Israel will determine their destiny,” Adams said during a briefing to reporters this evening.

He explained that he met with anti-judicial reform protestors because he believes “it was important to hear from both sides,” adding that he “did not give my opinion one way or another.”

“I wouldn’t want others to tell me how to run” New York City, he noted. “We should all watch history play out … not to interfere, but to learn. I think the people of Israel should make the determination of how to move forward.”

“Democracy is not easy. It is only by confronting our differences that we can emerge stronger,” he said.

Mayor Adams thanked “the people of Israel” for the “extremely warm” reception and hospitality he has received, and stated that New York City and the State of Israel have “an unbreakable bond … and we are going to continue to build on that.”

Adams spoke of his visit to the Kosel today, where his thoughts were of his mother, who had always wanted to come to Israel.

He stated that the world is in the midst of a historic moment in history in which nations must confront regions ranging from climate change to antisemitism.

On his meeting with Binyamin Governor Yisrael Ganz, Adams said that “at no time did we talk about settlements.”

Adams had high praise for Israel’s innovation and high-tech industry, noting how he and the NYPD are interested in Israel’s use of artificial intelligence in the field of law enforcement. He visited food tech companies, one of which produces honey without needing bees. “It was something that was good for the environment and tasteful for the consumer,” he said after having a taste of the high-tech honey. He also visited a company that produces lab-grown meat, which he praised for having zero fat and being healthier than normal meat.

When asked if he had seen any impact of the controversy in Israel surrounding the judicial reform issue, he said, “We have not seen an impact at all in the city. We continue to see a great deal of tech startups,” and “We have not witnessed any major impact.”

When asked by Israel National News – Arutz Sheva about the issue of antisemitism and how he views the efforts to combat it, he responded: “I think the increase in hate in general, specifically antisemitism, needs to be a global response and a local response.”

“We made a great mistake,” he admitted. “We thought we didn’t have to continue to build out the pipeline to embrace various cultures,” he said, speaking of a New York City initiative to bring young people and students from different backgrounds together and to serve as “ambassadors” for tolerance.

Adams also stated that his administration would seek “to strongly arrest and prosecute” those who commit antisemitic hate crimes,” that antisemitic crimes would not be downplayed and would be “vigorously” investigated and that prosecutors would have a “zero-tolerance, no plea bargain” policy against antisemitism.

{Matzav.com Israel}