Palestinian diplomat praising terrorist lives in $11K NYC apartment - sparking alarm among Jewish neighbors
Majed Bamya, a prominent Palestinian diplomat at the United Nations, resides in a luxury apartment on Manhattan's Upper East Side, stirring unease among his Jewish neighbors. The three-bedroom unit in Regency Towers, where rents can reach $11,000 per month, stands in stark contrast to the plight of Gazans he often criticizes.
Located just minutes from Central Park, the 34-story building features amenities such as a 24-hour doorman and a fitness center, managed by Carlyle Property Management. Bamya shares this opulent lifestyle with his wife, Sahar Salem, who also works as an adviser at the Palestinian mission to the UN.
Using his diplomatic platform, Bamya has publicly condemned Israel, accusing it of committing genocide during its conflict with Hamas. “There are people starving only a few feet away from aid and yet unable to reach it. Israel has made sure that famine has set in,” he stated during a UN address in May 2024.
His controversial remarks extend beyond humanitarian issues. In a 2015 post on X, he referred to Marwan Barghouti, a convicted terrorist serving life for the murder of five Israelis, as a “new Nelson Mandela” and advocated for his nomination for a Nobel Peace Prize. Additionally, he urged Palestinians to “rise against the Israeli occupation” in a now-deleted blog post from 2012.
The presence of Bamya in Regency Towers has alarmed many residents. One neighbor noted that approximately “80% of the apartments on his floor have a mezuzah,” indicating a predominantly Jewish community. “It’s a very Jewish building — a lot of religious Jews, too,” the resident remarked.
Conversations in the building have turned to speculation about Bamya’s past, with one resident questioning, “Is he [Bamya] a murderer? Did he become an ambassador by killing Jews?”
Neither Bamya nor the management of Regency Towers responded to inquiries regarding the situation. Records show that Bamya and his family have lived in Manhattan since 2016, following his appointment as First Counsellor to the Palestinian mission. Their previous residence was listed as the Palestinian UN mission on East 65th Street.
Before his current role, Bamya was involved with the Palestinian Authority as the “Coordinator of the Free Marwan Barghouti and All Palestinian Political Prisoners” campaign. This connection highlights his longstanding ties to controversial figures within Palestinian politics.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is estimated to have a fortune of $100 million, exemplifying the wealth amassed by some Palestinian officials through alleged misappropriation of international aid. Historical accounts suggest that Yasser Arafat, founder of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), accumulated over $1 billion during his lifetime through various business ventures.
Despite recent visa revocations for many Palestinian officials by the Trump administration ahead of last month’s UN General Assembly, Bamya and his wife received waivers due to existing agreements between the UN and the US government.
