NYS Comptroller Tom DiNapoli pledges to continue investing state pension funds in Israel bonds

State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli vowed to continue investing pension funds in Israel bonds despite a growing divestment push from pro-Palestinian activists — including Mayor Zohran Mamdani.DiNapoli’s defense of holding Israel government bonds in the state’s massive $309.7 billion pension fund portfolio comes a week after city Comptroller Mark Levine broke a campaign promise and said he would not reinvest city pension money into Israel bonds.The comptrollers are tasked with handling the pension investments for their governments.“We continue to look for investment opportunities in Israel and globally that will benefit the Fund,” said a spokesman for DiNapoli, a Democrat seeking re-election to a fifth term next month against Republican challenger Joseph Hernandez.Levine is also a Democrat.He told pro-Israeli activist Dov Hikind that his focus on Israeli investments includes “not just bonds” but also Israeli firms selling public stock.The New York State pension system has more than $360 million invested in the Jewish state.

The investment in Israel bonds has not changed.Hikind, a former Brooklyn assemblyman and founder of American Against Antisemitism, applauded DiNapoli and slammed Levine for “caving to pressure from Zohran Mamdani” by not reinvesting in Israel Bonds.He praised DiNapoli for not abandoning Israel.“Comptroller DiNapoli is looking to make additional investments in Israel I asked him to do more,” Hikind said.The previous New York City comptroller, Brad Lander, divested $40 million in Israel bonds that New York City had invested in since the 1970s.Levine said he’s decided not to reinvest the Big Apple’s pension funds in Israel bonds — a dramatic reversal from a pledge he made during his successful campaign last year.Levine told the New York Times he made the decision solely on financial grounds.“I always said this would be based on financial considerations only, not politics — that’s still my position,” Levine, who is Jewi...