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Mayoral contender Zohran Mamdani on Thursday continued to stumble defending the “globalize the intifada” rallying cry – as even fellow Democratic candidate Brad Lander, who cross-endorsed him, joined a pileup of criticism.
The usually smooth-talking Mamdani devolved into word salad as he maintained the phrase is not an incitement to violence against Jews.
“These words have different meanings for many different people, and my point is rather to say that each and every New Yorker deserves that safety and that my focus is going to be on making this an affordable city,” Mamdani said at a news conference.
“I’ve been clear that any incitement of violence is something that I’m in opposition to.”
The Democratic socialist’s awkward response came after he not only refused to denounce the anti-Israel cry but argued he viewed it as a call to stand up for Palestinian human rights.
He also tried to downplay the term by noting the US Holocaust Memorial Museum used the Arabic word “intifada” to describe the 1943 Warsaw Ghetto Uprising by Polish Jews against the Nazis.
The museum slapped down Mamdani’s argument — as did his critics, who view the Queens state assemblyman as, at best, being blind to antisemitism.
Thursday’s backlash included Lander, the lefty city comptroller who last week vowed to rank Mamdani second on his ranked-choice city ballot — a pledge his friendly rival returned.
The pair’s cross-endorsement could carry weight in the ranked-choice voting primary, where voters pick up to five candidates in order of preference.
Even if a voter’s first choice is eliminated in successive rounds of ranked-choice calculations, their other picks – from second on down – could still be in the mix and emerge as the eventual overall winner with more than 50% of the vote.
Lander told the “Pod Save America” podcast Tuesday that the phrase “globalize the intifada” carries violent associations for Jews such as himself, especially after the recent assassination of two Israeli Embassy staffers and a Molotov cocktail-hurling wacko’s attack in Colorado.
“Maybe you don’t mean to say it’s open season on Jews everywhere in the world, but that’s what I hear,” Lander said of those who use the term.
“And I’d like to hear that from other people as well,” he said of his comments, implicitly knocking Mamdani.
But Lander still insisted during the podcast that he doesn’t believe Mamdani is antisemitic — and noted his own problems with Israel’s war in Gaza and treatment of Palestinians.
He repeated his measured criticism Thursday of Mamdani’s defense of “globalize the intifada” and overall support of his rival’s character as he voted early in the primary.
“I believe that Zohran Mamdani is a person of decency and integrity, and I am therefore encouraging people to rank him number two,” Lander said.
“We do not agree on everything about Israel and Palestine, but I do believe that he will protect Jewish New Yorkers and our rights, and I was proud to rank him myself.”
Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who has seen his polling lead in the mayoral primary chipped away by Mamdani, didn’t miss the chance to lambast his opponent after a brief speech at a Bronx Juneteenth celebration.
Cuomo twice mispronounced Mamdani’s name — as he did during a recent debate, drawing an emphatic correction from his rival — while he accused him of “inciting violence against the Jewish community worldwide.
“He is divisive across the board,” Cuomo said.
Lander, during his podcast interview, argued it was Cuomo — not Mamdani — who failed to try to unite New Yorkers during that debate.
“I do not agree with him on Israel and Palestine on every issue, and that’s appropriate,” Lander said of Mamdani, before adding, “Cuomo did not try one iota to speak to Muslim New Yorkers or signal that he will bring people together.”
Mamdani would be the first Muslim mayor of New York City, if elected.
— Additional reporting by Carl Campanile and Craig McCarthy
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