A New York City-based manufacturer known for providing drones to Israel for surveillance of the Gaza Strip border has been ousted from the city-owned Brooklyn Navy Yard. This decision comes six weeks after pro-Palestine Mayor Zohran Mamdani assumed office.
The Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corp., which oversees the 300-acre industrial complex and whose board members are appointed by the mayor, chose not to renew the lease for Easy Aerial. Councilman Lincoln Restler (D-Brooklyn) announced this development on X, expressing his approval.
“This public asset should not be leasing space to companies producing drones that are being transformed into weapons of war,” Restler stated.
Easy Aerial has been a focal point for protests at the former Navy shipyard, particularly by a group named “Demilitarize Brooklyn Navy Yard,” which has called for the eviction of tenants that support Israel.
State Assemblyman Kalman Yeger (D-Brooklyn), a vocal supporter of Zionism, criticized the decision to remove Easy Aerial, labeling it as misguided.
“Driving valuable jobs out of New York because Mr. Mamdani and his associates have animosity towards Jews is likely not an effective strategy for economic growth,” he commented.
Easy Aerialâs exodus from the Fort Greene side of the industrial park illustrates the change in philosophy at City Hall since Mamdani was sworn in as mayor on Jan. 1.
Former Mayor Eric Adams, a retired ex-cop and avid Israel supporter, was so impressed with a joint presentation by Easy Aerial and Tel Aviv-based Blue White Robotics at a NYC-Israel Chamber of Commerce event in 2022 that he once mulled using a mini-army of their drones to fight crime in the Big Apple, The Post previously reported.
Besides assisting the Israel Defense Forces with border monitoring, Easy Aerial also has a longstanding relationship with the US Air Force and other federal agencies, and its spies-in-the-sky have been used to monitor suspicious activity along the Mexican border.
Its high-profile work also includes Super Bowl security.
Ivan Stamatovski, who heads Easy Aerial, did not return messages. Ido Gur, another co-founder no longer involved with the company, said he found the Navy Yard’s decision “upsetting” but declined further comment.
The Mayorâs Office did not return messages.
When asked if Israel-Palestine politics played a role in its decision, BNYDC spokesperson Claire Holmes said the non-renewal was “for business reasons related to operational and campus compliance matters. Like any landlord, we evaluate renewals based on adherence to lease terms and campus policies.”
