In the wake of Zohran Mamdani’s recent political victory in the Democraric primaries in New York City, Mohammed El-Kurd, a prominent Palestinian Activist activist, took to social media to express his support for Mamdani’s rise, stating "Consider the intifada globalized," The Washington Free Beacon reported. El-Kurd's tweet has sparked widespread debate and concern, drawing attention to the growing ties between some progressive figures and anti-Israel an antisemitic rhetoric.
El-Kurd, known for his outspoken oppoition to Israel. His tweet, referencing the "intifada" - a term that historically refers to violent uprisings against Israeli control - has raised alarms among many in the pro-Israel community. calls to globalize the intifada, which has led to widespread violence and conflict, is widely viewed as a call for global violence, particularly against Jews.
In his tweet, El-Kurd was seemingly celebrating Mamdani’s victory as a sign of growing global solidarity with Palestinian causes. Mamdani, a progressive member of the New York State Assembly, has garnered attention for his outspoken criticism of Israel, particularly his defense of the call to "globalize the Intifada" and his condemnation of Israel less than two days after the October 7 massacre, before Israel had begun to retaliate against the Hamas terrorist organization.
Israeli officials have condemned the message, with many calling it a dangerous call for violence and extremism. "Such rhetoric undermines the prospects for peace and coexistence," said an Israeli government spokesperson. "It is a call for hatred and violence, and we will not stand idly by in the face of such dangerous sentiments."
El-Kurd has maintained his consistent anti-Israel rhetoric since the October 7 Massacre, when terrorists murdered over 1,200 people in southern Israel and took over 240 people hostage. In the immediate aftermath of the massacre he blamed Israel for the massacre of its own people, writing on X: “Occupation, colonization, and land-theft are the root cause of the ‘conflict.’ Everything else is retaliation.”
In a speech in London in January 2024, he stated in an apparent gaffe that "we must normalize massacres as the status quo." He refused to apologize for the remark. The following month, he wrote an explicit endorsement of violence: “You can’t protest peacefully. You can’t boycott. You can’t hunger strike. You can’t hijack planes. You can’t block traffic. You can’t throw Molotovs. You can’t self-immolate. You can’t heckle politicians. You can’t march. You can’t riot. You can’t dissent. You just can’t be.”
Other anti-Israel activists also celebrated Mamdani's victory. Steven Thrasher, chair of social justice in reporting at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, posted "Globalize the Intifada" on his Bluesky account on the day of the primary.
Former Jewish Currents writer and podcast host Noah Kulwin wrote on X following Mamdani's victory: "TONIGHT CELEBRATION, TOMORROW JIHAD."