Mamdani Won’t Denounce Killing All Jews, Cuomo Goes for Debate Jugular

New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani was confronted about the phrase “globalize the intifada” during his debate against former Governor Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa on Thursday.

Why It Matters

The phrase, which has been used by pro-Palestinian activists, has become a sticking point between Mamdani, the Democratic nominee to lead the nation’s most populous city, and parts of its Jewish community. Pro-Palestinian activists view it as a call for global support of Palestinian resistance against Israel, but many Jewish people view the saying as antisemitic and a call for violence.

Mamdani, who would be New York’s first Muslim mayor, has faced criticism from Democrats and Republicans alike over his views on the conflict between Israel and Hamas. Mamdani has been a prominent critic of the Israeli government, and during the Democratic primary declined to condemn the use of “globalize the intifada,” drawing accusations of antisemitism, though he has since adjusted his messaging on the phrase.

What To Know

Mamdani’s opponents confronted him on his past remarks during the debate, which comes as Cuomo and Sliwa attempt to catch up to the state assemblymember’s lead in polling in the final weeks of the election.

The Democratic nominee was first asked what he believes about Hamas and his thoughts on how lasting peace will be achieved after the plan for accord between Israel and Hamas was initiated this month.

“Of course, I believe that they should lay down their arms,” Mamdani said. “I’m proud to be one of the first elected officials in the state who called for a ceasefire. And calling for a ceasefire means ceasing fire. That means all parties have to cease fire and put down their weapons. And the reason that we call for that is not only for the end of the genocide but also an unimpeded access of humanitarian aid.”

“I, like many New Yorkers, am hopeful that this ceasefire will hold. I’m hopeful that it is durable. I’m hopeful that it is just. And for it to be just, we also have to ensure that it addresses the conditions that preceded this,” Mamdani added later. “Conditions like occupation, like the siege, and apartheid, and that is what I am hopeful for.”

Cuomo then cut in, saying, “that means from the river to the sea.” Sliwa then said he feels like he is being “marginalized” on the stage and denounced Mamdani and Cuomo for not praising President Donald Trump for the Israel and Hamas peace deal. “Give credit where credit is due,” Sliwa said.

“I did applaud President Trump and his administration. I think it was a great accomplishment, and I hope the peace holds. The assemblyman will not denounce Hamas,” Cuomo said. “The assemblyman will not denounce Hasan Piker, who said America deserved 9/11. The assemblyman just said in his response, ‘Well, it depends on occupation.’ That is code meaning that … Israel does not have a right to exist as a Jewish state, which he has never acknowledged.”

Cuomo continued, “that is from the river to the sea, that’s why he won’t denounce globalize the intifada. Which means kill all Jews.”

Mamdani responded: “I want to be very clear; the occupation is a reference to international law and the violation of it. Which Mr. Cuomo has no regard for since he signed up to be Benjamin Netanyahu’s legal defense team during the course of this genocide. And I find the comments that Hasan made on 9/11 to be objectionable and reprehensible, and I also think that part of the reason why Democrats are in the situation that we are in, of being a permanent minority in this country, is we are looking only to speak to journalists and streamers and Americans with whom we agree of every single thing that they say.

“We need to take the case to every person and I’m happy to do that, which is why I was on Fox News yesterday talking about I wish it was more like NASCAR so we could see all the billionaires who are sponsoring you right on your suit jacket.”

Zohran Mamdani ‘Globalize the Intifada’ Controversy Explained

Controversy over Mamdani’s position on the phrase began when he appeared on an interview with the Bulwark and was asked by Tim Miller if the phrase makes him “uncomfortable.” Mamdani said that those mean different things for different people, and that he hears a “desperate desire for equality and equal rights in standing up for Palestinians.”

“As a Muslim man who grew up post-9/11, I am all too familiar in which the way Arabic words can be twisted, can be distorted, can be used to justify any kind of meaning, and I think that’s what leaves me with the sense of what we need to do is focus on keeping Jewish New Yorkers safe, and the question of permissibility of language is something that I haven’t ventured into,” he said in the June interview.

His remarks stirred backlash from many Democrats, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who has not endorsed Mamdani.

Later in June, Mamdani was asked about whether he would condemn the phrase on NBC News.

“That’s not language that I use,” he said. He said the role of the mayor is not to “police speech.”

“What I think I need to show is the ability to not only talk about something but to tackle it and to make clear for antisemitism in this city,” he said. “We have to root out that bigotry, and ultimately, we do that through the actions, and that is the mayor I will be—one that protects Jewish New Yorkers and lives up to the commitment through the work that I do.”

He later said he would “discourage” the use of the term during a meeting with business leaders in July, reported The New York Times.

The controversy comes amid the yearslong conflict between Israel and Hamas and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

On October 7, 2023, Hamas led an attack against Israel, killing 1,200 and abducting 251. Israel then launched an offensive on Gaza, killing more than 67,000 people, according to the Associated Press, citing Gaza’s Health Ministry

Trump helped broker a deal between Israel and Hamas that facilitated the return of Israeli hostages, required Israel to withdraw troops to agreed positions inside the Gaza Strip and established a ceasefire of the deadly conflict. Twenty living hostages were freed on Monday. Ten of the 28 deceased hostage bodies were released as of Thursday morning, but one was determined not to be a hostage, reported the Associated Press. This means 19 hostages’ bodies remain in Gaza.

Mamdani discussed the deal during a Fox News interview on Wednesday, saying it remains too early to say whether Trump deserves credit, but that he would do so if the deal proves to be lasting.

“When it comes to the ceasefire, I am thankful and I have hope that it will actually endure, and that it will be lasting. I continue to have concerns because I’ve seen reports still just in the last few days that five Palestinians were killed by the Israeli military, and that’s what gives me pause about giving any kind of praise or celebration at a moment when it is still in its infancy,” he said.

A Quinnipiac poll released earlier in October found that Mamdani is struggling to win over Jewish voters. In the poll, 60 percent said they planned to back Cuomo, 29 percent Mamdani and 8 percent said they would cast their ballot for Sliwa.

It surveyed 1,015 likely voters from October 3 to October 7 and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.9 percentage points.

What People Are Saying

Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said on ABC News’ This Week in June: “Globalizing the intifada is not an acceptable phrasing. He’s going to have to clarify that position on that as he moves forward. With respect to the Jewish communities that I represent, I think our nominee is going to have to convince folks that he is prepared to aggressively address the rise in antisemitism in the city of New York, which has been an unacceptable development.”

Democratic New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, who has endorsed Mamdani, told Politico in June: “I don’t like the phrase ‘globalize the intifada.’ Some people, when they say it, they might mean ‘fight for the rights of Palestinians,’ but I’ll tell you, all I can hear is ‘open season on Jews.’”

Andrew Cuomo, running as an independent, told the New York Daily News on October 5: “Zohran Mamdani continues to play word games instead of showing moral clarity. Today I again call on him – directly and unequivocally – to denounce this phrase and to reject any movement that glorifies violence or targets Jewish people.”