As the two-year mark of Hamas’s October 7, 2023 terror onslaught is set to be commemorated on Tuesday, former New York Governor and current New York City mayoral candidate Andrew Cuomo issued a direct challenge to his rival, Zohran Mamdani, urging him to publicly reject the slogan “Globalize the intifada.”
“Let’s be clear: Calls to ‘globalize the intifada’ are not abstract slogans—they are calls for violence against Jews. There is no justification, no context and no moral equivalence that excuses that language or intent,” Cuomo stated, as quoted by JNS.
Cuomo, who is running as an independent after losing the primary to Mamdani, emphasized that Mamdani must show moral clarity.
“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,” he added.
Mamdani has faced heavy criticism due to his anti-Israel stance, which included his failure to condemn the phrase "globalize the intifada" and his criticism of Israel on October 8, 2023 - just one day after the Hamas massacre in southern Israel.
He also recently declared that he would stop using the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA)’s working definition of antisemitism.
Mamdani has repeatedly accused Israel of war crimes in its battle against Hamas in Gaza. He has also stated that he would seek the arrest of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should the leader visit New York City, citing the International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant against the Prime Minister.
Current New York City Mayor Eric Adams recently withdrew from the race, amid reports that he had been pressured by the White House to do so in a move intended to clear the path for Cuomo to defeat Mamdani.
Following Adams’ withdrawal, several Jewish organizations threw their support behind Cuomo’s election campaign.
(Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Sukkot in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)