Newsletter
Newsletter Support JNS

Cuomo calls on Mamdani ‘unequivocally’ to reject ‘globalize the intifada’

“Let’s be clear: Calls to ‘globalize the intifada’ are not abstract slogans—they are calls for violence against Jews,” said the former New York governor and current mayoral candidate.

Delta Air Lines, Andrew Cuomo
Andrew Cuomo, then-governor of New York, at the opening of the new Delta Air Lines terminal in LaGuardia Airport in Queens, N.Y., on Oct. 29, 2019. Credit: Delta News Hub via Wikimedia Commons.

Ahead of the two-year anniversary of the Hamas terror attacks on Oct. 7, 2023, Andrew Cuomo, the former governor of New York and a current candidate for mayor of New York City, called on state assemblyman and mayoral frontrunner Zohran Mamdani to officially condemn the phrase, “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,” read a statement from Cuomo, who is running as an Independent.

He added that “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.”

Mamdani, a Socialist Democrat, has frequently criticized Israel, accusing the Jewish state of war crimes in its fight against Hamas in Gaza, and has said that he would have Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrested if the leader comes to New York City.

The dramatic switch came two days before Election Day, following Stevens’s growing rift with Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed over Israel and antisemitism.
The unequivocal remarks come in reaction to allegations of ties between Michigan Senate Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed and the Islamist group.
The Israeli military says Ihab Jamil Abu Taqiya had custody of at least 13 captives in Gaza.
Political uncertainty could complicate Israel’s ability to sustain military operations, defense spending and long-term strategic commitments as threats persist from Iran to Gaza and Lebanon.