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MAMDANI ATTACKED FOR SUPPORTING EQUAL RIGHTS IN THE MIDDLE EAST  
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Michael Arria
June 6, 2025
Mondoweiss
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_ This campaign is proving that progressive candidates who are
consistent in their values – who embrace unapologetic support for
Palestinian rights and who call for an end to US complicity in the
Israeli government’s genocide – are popular. _

NYC Assemblymember and mayoral candidate Zohran Kwame Mamdani,
(Mamdani campaign website).

 

Israel was a hot topic in this week’s New York City’s Democratic
mayoral race.

For some reason, amid discussions of proposed city policies, each
candidate was asked what foreign country they would visit.

Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, former hedge fund manager
Whitney Tilson, and former city comptroller Scott Stringer all said
Israel. New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams said she would
travel to “the holy land,” which presumably means Israel.

Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani said he would stay in New York and help
New Yorkers, which prompted moderators to break their own lightning
round rules and ask the only Muslim candidate if he would visit
Israel. When he reiterated his choice to stay in New York City, he was
asked “Yes or no, do you believe in a Jewish State of Israel.”

Mamdani said he believed in Israel’s right to exist, which wasn’t
enough for the panel. “As a _Jewish_ state?,” he was asked.

“As a state with equal rights,” he replied.

Mamdani extrapolated his position in a recent Good Day New York
appearance.

“I’m not comfortable supporting any state that has a hierarchy of
citizenship on the basis of religion or anything else,” he
explained. “Equality should be enshrined in every country in the
world. That’s my belief.”

Mamdani’s refusal to endorse apartheid immediately generated
vociferous backlash among the pro-Israel crowd.

“It’s more than problematic,” said Joseph Potasnik, executive
vice president of the New York Board of Rabbis, told the _New York
Post._ “Jews see this as a dividing line.

Fellow candidate Whitney Tilson said voters should be “concerned
[[link removed]]” about
Mamdani’s position.

“The Orthodox Jewish community is not afraid enough,” Sam Berger,
an Orthodox Queens state assemblyman and Cuomo-backer, told _Jewish
Insider_
[[link removed]].
“While the public generally takes its time to pay attention, we do
not have that luxury this year. After two antisemitic attacks in under
two weeks echoing the same rhetoric we have persistently warned
against from the No. 2 mayoral candidate, we need to vote like our
lives depend on it.”

“Zohran Mamdani couldn’t even _pretend_ he supports Israel’s
right to exist as actually Israel: Bad as everyone was on stage at the
first Democratic mayoral debate, he disqualifies himself with that
stance alone,” declared
[[link removed]] the _New
York Post’s_ editorial board.

“Jewish lives will be at stake if this man is elected,” tweeted
[[link removed]] New York City
Council member Inna Vernikov. “He’s going to enable antisemitism
like this city has never seen. If he wins and TRUE principled
conservatives don’t remain in the Council, violence will SKYROCKET.
Don’t just watch it unfold. Act. VOTE!”

Will Israel factor into the election?

The attacks on Mamdani certainly didn’t come out of left field, as
Israel has remained a contentious issue throughout the race.

In an interview last month, Cuomo said that the upcoming election was
a referendum on Israel within the Democratic Party.

“You have a schism in the Democratic party right now, and this
election is in many ways a litmus test of that,” said
[[link removed]] Cuomo.

“I don’t consider them Democrats, I consider them socialists,”
he continued, referring to the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA).
“They support BDS, they pledge never to visit Israel. That’s not
what I believe is the fundamental relationship between Israel and the
Democratic Party. As a Democrat, I think it’s synonymous that you
support Israel.”

Cuomo’s comments were clearly aimed at Mamdani, who is endorsed by
NYC-DSA in the race for mayor. In contrast to Cuomo’s centrist
vision, Mamdani is running on a campaign of freezing rent, building
affordable housing, and raising the city’s minimum wage.

He is also an open supporter of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions
movement (BDS) and a vocal critic of Israel. In 2023, he cosponsored
the Not on Our Dime Act
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which would prohibit local charities from funding illegal Israeli
settlements in the West Bank.

Cuomo is the favorite to win the election, but Mamdani’s campaign
has been picking up steam, and polling has consistently shown that
Mamdani is the only candidate with a viable chance of overtaking the
former governor. A recent Emerson College poll showed Mamdani surging
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of the frontrunner.

It’s unclear how much Israel will factor into the contest, but the
issue has certainly been at the forefront of the campaign in recent
weeks.

Last month, _Politico_ ran an article
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Mamdani of refusing to back measures condemning the Holocaust.

The piece quotes pro-Israel Assemblymember Sam Berger, who smeared
Mamdani as an antisemite and attacked him for being endorsed by Jamaal
Bowman.

“He condemned Israel the day after October 7th, regularly gives
interviews on unapologetic antisemitic platforms, and just proudly
accepted an endorsement from a disgraced former fire-alarm pulling
Congressman who denied October 7th rapes before walking that back,”
Berger told _Politico_.

“His plan to ‘combat’ antisemitism is tossing more money at the
Jews,” he continued. “At what point do we acknowledge that if it
walks like a duck, talks like a duck, and quacks like a duck —
it’s a duck?”

Mamdani quickly released a video addressing the article, saying that
the website had “spread lies” and made a “baseless
accusation.”

Mamdani says he hasn’t cosponsored any resolutions since January, as
part of a blanket policy implemented so he could focus exclusively on
legislation. He points out that he has voted for the Holocaust
Remembrance Day resolution every year, supports allocating millions
for Holocaust survivors in the city, and has proposed the largest
fiscal commitment to combating antisemitism.

The _Politico_ story is certainly not the only recent article that
attempts to tag Mamdani’s criticisms of Israel as antisemitic.

As the election nears, the right-wing _New York Post_ has run a
series of pieces attacking Mamdani’s progressive agenda, including
one where he is accused
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“spewing antisemitic tropes.” The tabloid recently put a photo of
him on its cover with the headline, “CANDIDHATE FOR MAYOR.”

This line of attack eventually led to Mamdani being asked whether he
supports Israel’s “right to exist” as a state. He told reporters
he does, but was confronted by a pro-Palestine activist over the issue
at a campaign event shortly after.

“Don’t be hypocritical and say ‘Free Palestine’ when you’re
also defending the right for Israel to exist,” the unidentified
individual told
[[link removed]] Mamdani.
“It does not have the right to exist. It’s not your land to say it
has the right to exist.”

At a subsequent town hall, Mamdani seemingly clarified his position.
“I believe Israel has a right to exist and it has a right to exist
also with equal rights for all,” he explained
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weeks before repeating these views at the debate.

Despite the push to smear Mamdani as an antisemite, polling shows
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Jewish voters prefer him to every other candidate besides Cuomo. Brad
Lander, the city comptroller and anti-occupation reform Jew, is
running third among Jewish voters.

Mamdani has also received endorsements from multiple Jewish activists
and organizations, including The Jewish Vote and Jewish Voice for
Peace Action (JVP Action).

“We’re incredibly proud that JVP Action was one of the first
organizations to endorse Zohran Mamdani for Mayor,” Beth Miller of
JVP Action told _Mondoweiss_. “We’ve knocked tens of thousands of
doors over the last few months, and our number of volunteers continues
growing every week. This campaign is proving that progressive
candidates who are consistent in their values – who embrace
unapologetic support for Palestinian rights as part of their politics,
and who call for an end to US complicity in the Israeli government’s
genocide of Palestinians in Gaza – are popular. Zohran and his
clear, humanity-based message have mobilized historic levels of
support. We have a chance to elect a mayor who wants a more fair and
affordable city and who supports human rights and dignity for all
people – from NYC to Gaza.”

“Corrupt, dinosaur politicians like Andrew Cuomo are trying to run
this race from an outdated playbook,” she added. “Jewish New
Yorkers are done letting politicians conflate us with the Israeli
government, or use us as political pawns to divide our communities and
manufacture consent for genocide.”

Political consultant Peter Feld says that the declining support for
Israel among Democratic voters could actually hurt Cuomo and other
pro-Israel candidates in the race. An April Pew poll
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that 53% negative rating, an 11 point increase since March 2022. A
March 2025 Gallup poll
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that just 43% of Americans side with Israel over the Palestinians, and
that Democrats side with Palestinians over Israel by a margin of 59%
to 21%.

Feld says that the numbers are likely comparable in New York and that
Mamdani might be able to gain further ground by pushing the issue.

“While politicians like Cuomo and [current NYC Mayor] Eric Adams,
and independent groups like Solidarity PAC, see only upside in
aggressively backing Israel, it’s very likely there is more
downside,” Feld told _Mondoweiss._ “I’d love to say that there
is a golden opportunity for independent pro-Palestine groups to flex
their muscle and run ads attacking Cuomo for pledging to outlaw our
right to criticize Israel, enacting the IHRA definition of
antisemitism.”

Feld’s analysis aligns with another recent Emerson poll that shows
46% do not think it’s important for the next mayor of New York City
to be pro-Israel.

_MONDOWEISS IS AN INDEPENDENT NEWS ORGANIZATION THAT INFORMS READERS
ABOUT DEVELOPMENTS IN ISRAEL/PALESTINE AND RELATED U.S. FOREIGN
POLICY. WE PROVIDE NEWS AND ANALYSIS REGARDING THE STRUGGLE FOR
PALESTINIAN HUMAN RIGHTS THAT IS UNAVAILABLE THROUGH MAINSTREAM
MEDIA._

* Zohran Mamdani
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* Andrew Cuomo
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* New York City
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* Palestinians
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* Israel
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