Khaberni - American media reports indicate that the American drone company Easy Aerial, which also supplies the Israeli military with military equipment, was forced to leave the Brooklyn Navy Yard industrial complex owned by the New York City municipality, just weeks after Mayor Zahran Mamdani took office.
According to the report, the development company responsible for managing the industrial complex, whose board is appointed by the mayor, decided last month not to renew the lease contract signed with the company, in a move that sparked wide political controversy within the city.
New York City Council member from Brooklyn, Lincoln Restler, publicly announced the decision, considering that "public properties should not be used as a headquarters for companies that manufacture drones used as weapons," directly referring to the company’s activities and its military connections.
In contrast, New York State Legislative Member from Brooklyn, Kalman Yeger, attacked the decision, describing it as "foolish," and said that "pursuing good jobs in New York for ideological reasons, under the pretext of anti-Israel sentiment, does not constitute a successful economic development policy," he stated.
According to the newspaper, Easy Aerial's activities are not limited to the Israeli market; the company also works with the US Air Force and other federal entities, and its drones have been used in border surveillance tasks between the United States and Mexico, as well as securing major events like the Super Bowl.
This step comes after a series of protests organized in the past months in front of the industrial complex, led by anti-armament groups, notably the “Demilitarize Brooklyn Navy Yard” group, which demanded the complex's administration expel companies that deal with Israel or supply it with military equipment.
On her part, the spokeswoman for the municipal development foundation, Claire Holmes, said that the decision not to renew the contract came for "purely commercial reasons," related to not meeting the lease terms and complying with the complex's regulations, denying that the decision had a political background, and confirming that all lease contracts are reviewed according to standardized criteria.
No official comment has been issued by Easy Aerial's CEO, Ivan Stamatovski, while the company's former co-founder, Ido Gur, described the decision as "concerning," without providing further details.
New York City municipality and the mayor's office have not yet responded to inquiries.
