Shapiro Says Mamdani Fails to Condemn ‘Blatantly Antisemitic' Rhetoric
During the primary, Mr. Mamdani refused to condemn the phrase 'globalize the intifada,' though he has more recently appeared to soften his defense of the phrase. Palestinians and their supporters have called the phrase a rallying cry for liberation, but many Jews consider it a call to violence, a direct reference to deadly attacks on civilians in Israel by Palestinians in uprisings in the 1980s and 2000s.
The critique from Mr. Shapiro, one of the country's most prominent Jewish elected officials, underscored how deeply Mr. Mamdani's victory has shaken Democratic leaders, who have yet to unite behind Mr. Mamdani's campaign.
'He seemed to run a campaign that excited New Yorkers. He also seemed to run a campaign where he left open far too much space for extremists to either use his words or for him to not condemn the words of extremists that said some blatantly antisemitic things,' Mr. Shapiro told Jewish Insider in an interview the news outlet published on Wednesday.
Mr. Mamdani's vocal support for Palestinian rights, a cause he has described as foundational to his political activism, has forced Democrats into a high-profile debate over whether outspoken opposition to Israel and its government — and even questioning its existence as a Jewish state — is a position that should be embraced by the party.
He has described Israel's actions in Gaza as a 'genocide,' and, when pressed, has not said if Israel has a right to exist as a Jewish state, instead endorsing equal rights for all religious and ethnic groups there.
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