Majed Bamiya, who serves as the UN’s deputy permanent observer for Palestine, resides in a luxury Manhattan apartment, which has raised concern among Jewish residents nearby, especially as Israel highlights the plight of people in Gaza.
He lives with his family in a three-bedroom unit at Regency Tower on the Upper East Side, where rent is around $11,000 monthly, according to reports.
This 34-story building on East 63rd Street is just a short stroll from Central Park and includes amenities like a 24-hour doorman, a fitness center, and a rooftop terrace.
Bamiya’s wife, Sahar Salem, also works with him, advising the UN’s Palestinian mission.
He often leverages his role to criticize Israel on a global platform, framing the humanitarian issues in Gaza in stark terms. Back in May 2024, he asserted, “There are people just feet away from aid but unable to access it. Israel has acknowledged that hunger is escalating.”
He went further, labeling Marwan Barguti, a convicted terrorist responsible for killing five Israelis, as the “new Nelson Mandela,” advocating for a Nobel Peace Prize for him.
Bamiya’s high-profile residence has raised eyebrows among his Jewish neighbors, with one estimating that “80% of the apartments on his floor have mezuzahs.”
“It’s a very Jewish building, with many religious families,” the neighbor pointed out, voicing concerns over the situation surrounding Bamiya. “People are talking in the elevators—questions like, ‘Did he become an ambassador through violence against Jews?’ are common.”
Neither Bamiya nor the management at Regency Towers has responded to inquiries regarding these issues.
According to records, Bamiya and his family have called Manhattan home since he became a counselor for the mission in 2016, previously living at the Palestine UN Mission on East 65th Avenue.
Before joining the Palestinian mission, he was noted for his role in advocating for the release of Marwan Barguti and other Palestinian political prisoners.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, with an estimated $100 million in personal wealth, is one among many Palestinian officials who have amassed significant fortunes, especially during times when Western aid has diminished.
In times past, Yasser Arafat, the founder of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), was known to control various enterprises, including airlines and diamond mines.
Recently, the Trump administration had revoked visas for numerous Palestinian officials prior to the UN General Assembly, yet Bamiya and his wife were exempted from this restriction due to an existing agreement with the UN.
