Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani refused to denounce Hamas after he was asked to back Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s vow to wipe out the terrorists and secure the release of all remaining hostages.
Mamdani stopped short of condemning the militant group after Netanyahu used his defiant address to the United Nations General Assembly on Friday to declare that Israel must “finish the job” in its war against Hamas.
“I am not going to echo the words of Benjamin Netanyahu,” the mayoral nominee told reporters when asked point-blank later Friday if he agreed with the Israeli PM’s stance that Hamas is a terrorist group that needs to be destroyed.
“I can, however, share my own words and say them right here, which is that my politics is built on a universality. I can think of no better illustration of that than from the words of the hostage families themselves: Everyone for everyone,” he added.
“What has been so infuriating to me and so many New Yorkers, frankly, is Benjamin Netanyahu’s use of the hostages as a justification to continue a war that has only continued to endanger the lives of those very hostages, as well as of so many Palestinians,” Mamdani said.
Start your day with all you need to know
Morning Report delivers the latest news, videos, photos and more.
Thanks for signing up!
It comes after Netanyahu had earlier warned that Hamas would only “repeat the atrocities” of Oct. 7, 2023, if the terror group wasn’t eradicated and as he rejected recognition of a Palestinian state, which several US allies did ahead of the General Assembly.
Mamdani went on to rip Mayor Eric Adams for being among those who watched Netanyahu’s remarks in person — even as dozens of delegates had walked out in protest just moments before the Israeli leader took center stage.
“To have a mayor who went to the United Nations to watch his address and then thank Benjamin Netanyahu for defending the Western world and our way of life, those are the words that Eric Adams shared, I can’t even begin to explain the offense that that brings to New Yorkers across the five boroughs,” he said.
“How can we describe the killing of a child once an hour, every hour for close to two years as a defense of our way of life? That is not a way of life that any of us practice in this city. What we want in this city is dignity for all, and the hostage families have given us an understanding of how to showcase that.”
The mayoral front-runner has previously slammed Israel as an apartheid state and backed the controversial BDS movement, which aims to boycott, divest and sanction the Jewish state.
He’s been a vocal critic of Netanyahu and has vowed that, if elected, he’d order the NYPD to arrest the Israeli PM should he come to New York City.
The socialist candidate also recently signaled his intention to stop using the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism if elected because it conflates criticism of Israel and Zionism with antisemitism.
Antisemitism, according to the IHRA definition, is “a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews.”
A Mamdani campaign spokesperson said Mamdani has condemned the Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel — and pointed The Post to a video from May when he said he denounced the group.
“Of course, Zohran Mamdani has repeatedly condemned Hamas,” said spokeswoman Dora Pekec. “On numerous occasions, he has described October 7th for what it was; a war crime. This consistency comes from his values and his belief in a shared humanity for all.”
Leave a Reply