House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is pressing Zohran Mamdani, the self-proclaimed socialist and presumed Democratic nominee for New York City mayor, to explain his stance on the controversial slogan “Globalize the intifada.”
Mamdani, who has been a vocal critic of Israel, sparked backlash earlier this month when he told The Bulwark that “Globalize the intifada” is a phrase that encapsulates a “desperate desire for equality and equal rights in standing up for Palestinian human rights.”
Jeffries, one of the top Democrats in Congress, is now demanding that Mamdani clarify why he refuses to disavow a slogan many view as inciting violence against Jews.
“Globalizing the intifada, by way of example, is not an acceptable phrasing,” Jeffries (D-NY) said Sunday on ABC’s This Week. He reminded viewers that “intifada” literally means uprising.
Jeffries went on to emphasize that Mamdani owes voters a clear explanation.
“He’s going to have to clarify his position on that as he moves forward,” said the Brooklyn lawmaker.
Jeffries also pointed out that Mamdani needs to convince Jewish constituents that he is serious about tackling antisemitism in the city.
“With respect to the Jewish communities that I represent, I think our nominee is going to have to convince folks that he is prepared to aggressively address the rise in antisemitism in the city of New York, which has been an unacceptable development.”
When questioned by The Bulwark on June 17 about whether the slogan made him uncomfortable, Mamdani would not criticize it.
And during a follow-up interview on NBC’s Meet the Press, Mamdani again refused to denounce the phrase — even as many have warned it carries threatening and violent implications.
“That’s not language that I use. The language that I use and the language that I will continue to use to lead this city is that which speaks clearly to my intent, which is an intent grounded in a belief in universal human rights,” Mamdani told host Kristen Welker.
“I don’t believe that the role of the mayor is to police speech in the manner.”
Welker pressed Mamdani three separate times to address the phrase directly.
If Mamdani secures the office, he will become New York City’s first Muslim and first millennial mayor. His surprise primary win, in which he edged out former Governor Andrew Cuomo, shook up the Democratic establishment.
He is widely expected to clinch the Democratic nomination officially when the results are certified next month.
Jeffries, who has yet to throw his support behind Mamdani, underscored the importance of any mayor taking antisemitism seriously.
“Any mayor, whether you’re a Democratic mayor, a Republican mayor, an independent mayor, has got to commit to the safety and well-being of all of the people of the city of New York,” Jeffries said.
“And when there are moments of crisis and a rise in anti-Jewish hate, that’s a threshold, of course, that needs to be crossed.”
Jeffries also defended his current decision to withhold an endorsement of Mamdani.
“I have not,” Jeffries said when asked if he had endorsed the candidate. “We had a conversation on Wednesday morning where I congratulated him on the campaign that he ran, a campaign that clearly was relentlessly focused on the high cost of living in New York City.”
He noted that he and Mamdani have not previously had much interaction.
“We don’t really know each other well. Our districts don’t overlap. I have never had a substantive conversation with him,” Jeffries explained. “That’s the next step in terms of this process, to be able to sit down.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), who holds the distinction of being the most senior elected Jewish official in the United States, has also held off on endorsing Mamdani.
Several Democrats, including Representatives Tom Suozzi and Laura Gillen, have voiced strong opposition to many of Mamdani’s far-left stances.
What’s the issue he is a nazi with form ideals
I think this madman-i or Mandami is getting a little ahead of himself and thinks he has the mayorship in the bag and so he can get away with saying anything at this point. I have the feeling that over the next few months people are going to get so fed up of him and all the negativity that’s surrounding him, they are going to go for an alternative but ….. but that can only happen if Cuomo and Mayor Adams join together and decide that only one of them can run for mayor and the other will let it go…
Wow, Jeffries must havedone some internal polling and realized he needs the Jewish vote.
Oh, so this Muslim Mamdani is okay with hateful rhetoric being directed towards Jewish taxpayers in this City, but he’s not okay when it comes to comments made against Muslims on welfare. That’s called a double standard. A wicked evil man. Hopefully the democrat party will oust him from its midst.
there’s nothing for him to clarify – HE IS A HAMAS TERRORIST WITH A NICE SUIT – the DemocRATS must throw him out of their party if they want to survive in America
Globalize the intifada (uprising)!
Ingredients of the intifada include bus bombings, lynching of Jews, destruction of Jewish-owned property, murder of unarmed Jewish civilians, rock throwing targeting Jewish-driven vehicles, auto ramming incidents, harassment of Jewish pedestrians, disruption of Jewish gatherings, expulsion of Jewish persons from their homes, etc., etc., etc.
Mr Mamdani, if you are elected mayor of New York City, and anti-Jewish elements move to attack and destroy Jewish businesses, institutions and homes, will you direct the NYPD to stand down? The intifada slogan clearly communicates that non-Jews should use violence against Jews across the globe, and New York City is on the globe. Consistent with your point of view, will Jews have the right to defend themselves if threatened by violence? In your weltanschauung (worldview), why should anyone have the right to attack me or my property merely because he is not in agreement with the foreign policy or the internal policy of the State of Israel and I am a Jew? If you believe that my legitimate pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness in America should be opposed by anonymous violence, you are a loathsome savage. You are not stupid. You are evil.