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The Hill
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Hill
NYC mayoral candidate draws criticism for ‘globalize the intifada' comparison to Warsaw uprising
New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani is facing criticism over remarks he made in which he avoided denouncing the phrase 'globalize the intifada' and compared it to the Warsaw ghetto uprising during the Holocaust. Mamdani appeared for an interview with The Bulwark, released on Tuesday, in which host Tim Miller asked him for his thoughts on the phrase, which has evoked strong emotions on both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Many pro-Palestinian activists have said the phrase refers to Palestinians fighting for their own rights and opposing Israeli occupation, while pro-Israel activists and many Jewish people view the phrase as calling for a global uprising to commit violence against Zionists, who support Israel's existence, and Jews more broadly. 'To me, ultimately, what I hear in so many is a desperate desire for equality and equal rights in standing up for Palestinian human rights,' he said in comments first reported by Jewish Insider. 'And I think what's difficult also is that the very word has been used by the Holocaust Museum when translating the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising into Arabic, because it's a word that means struggle.' Mamdani seemed to refer to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. But the museum issued a rare statement weighing in on a political issue on Wednesday, denouncing Mamdani's comparison. 'Exploiting the Museum and the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising to sanitize 'globalize the intifada' is outrageous and especially offensive to survivors,' the museum said in a post on X. 'Since 1987 Jews have been attacked and murdered under its banner. All leaders must condemn its use and the abuse of history.' Intifada is an Arabic word literally meaning uprising, but many associate it with the First Intifada in the 1980s and 1990s and the Second Intifada in the early 2000s, during which Palestinians in the Palestinian territories and Israel took part in an uprising leading to significant violence in the area. But pro-Palestinian activists maintain they only use the phrase to refer to Palestinian liberation. The Warsaw Ghetto uprising took place during World War II when Jews in German-occupied Poland pushed back against the Nazis and some escaped. Mamdani responded to the criticism he's faced in comments at a press conference on Wednesday, saying, 'There's no room for antisemitism in this city and this country.' The conference was initially held to announce former mayoral candidate Maya Wiley's endorsement of Mamdani's campaign. 'It pains me to be called an antisemite. It pains me to be painted as I'm somehow in opposition to the very Jewish New Yorkers that I know and love and that are such a key part of this city,' he said. Throughout the campaign, Mamdani has faced criticism over his stances on Israel and accusations of antisemitism over some public statements he's made. He's been a sharp critic of Israel's war in Gaza and was challenged earlier this month over his unwillingness to say definitively that he supports Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state. 'I support Israel's right to exist as a state with equal rights,' he said in a local media interview. 'Because I'm not comfortable supporting any state that has a hierarchy of citizenship on the basis of religion or anything else. Equality should be enshrined in every county in the world.' Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who is the front-runner in the race, slammed Mamdani for saying the phrase about the intifada is 'subject to interpretation.' He called on all mayoral candidates to denounce the comment. 'That is not only wrong – it is dangerous,' he said in a post on X. 'At a time when we are seeing antisemitism on the rise and in fact witnessing once again violence against Jews resulting in their deaths in Washington DC or their burning in Denver – we know all too well that words matter. They fuel hate. They fuel murder. As the US Holocaust Museum so aptly said, all leaders or those running for office must condemn the use of this battle cry. There are no two sides here.' During the press conference, he also referred to his own status as a Muslim political candidate and messages of hate he's received over it. 'I get messages that say, 'The only good Muslim is a dead Muslim.' I get threats on my life, on the people that I love, and I try not to talk about it,' he said, adding he wants to focus on making the city more affordable and one that 'every New Yorker sees themselves in.' 'The thing that's made me proudest in this campaign is that the strength of our movement is built on our ability to build something across Jewish and Muslim communities, across New Yorkers of all faiths and all backgrounds and all boroughs,' Mamdani said. He addressed attacks he's received from other candidates over this issue, arguing it's been a political tool rather than a genuine attack. 'Antisemitism is such a real issue in this city, and it's been hard to see it weaponized by candidates who do not have any sincere interest in tackling but rather in using it as a pretext to make political points,' he said.
New York Post
6 days ago
- Politics
- New York Post
Michael Goodwin: Democrats with Trump Derangement Syndrome are undercutting Israel
One way to look at the first six months of Donald Trump's second term is that the wily president has managed to trick Democrats into fighting common sense and adopting bizarre and unpopular positions. Consider how he lured them into wildly protecting waste, fraud and abuse in the budget simply by having a plan to cut it. Then the president, by keeping a campaign promise, fooled his opponents into engaging in violent riots and trying to block his deportations of illegal immigrants, including those who had committed serious crimes here. And now comes Trump trick No. 3, which is unfolding before our eyes. Because the president's support for Israel is ironclad in its war with Iran, those infected by Trump Derangement Syndrome are reflexively pulling away from the Jewish nation. Already there are signs that Dems and their media handmaidens are moving toward condemning Israel for daring to protect itself from Iranian aggression. The left's budding resistance is camouflaged in squishy, both-sidesism mush. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries began by saying that 'Iran should never be allowed to become nuclear capable,' but quickly called for 'a reduction in hostilities.' 'I'm hopeful that cooler heads will prevail in the Middle East and the situation is de-escalated,' Jeffries told MSNBC. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the doofus Dems thought was veep-ready, addressed the initial Israeli strike by bemoaning that America is no longer a 'neutral arbitrator' and added: 'Who is the voice in the world that can negotiate some type of agreement and hold the moral authority? It might be the Chinese.' His fellow Minnesotan, Rep. Ilhan Omar, chimed in with her usual antisemitic dog-whistles. 'Israel knows America will do whatever they want and feels confident about their ability to get into war and have the American government back them up,' she posted. She also insisted Americans should be ready to 'either see their tax dollars being spent on weapons supplies to Israel or be dragged into war with Iran.' Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy plowed similar ground when he bizarrely insisted Israel's attack 'was clearly intended to scuttle the Trump Administration's negotiations with Iran, and risks a regional war that will likely be catastrophic for America.' Amid all the crazy talk on the left, there are a few voices of sanity. One is Sen. John Fetterman, with the Pennsylvania Dem telling Jewish Insider he was shocked by his party pals' views. 'It was just astonishing to see colleagues criticizing these things. It's like, do you think you can negotiate with that regime? Do you think you want to run that scenario and allow them to acquire 1,000 pounds of weapons-grade uranium?' 'I can't understand, I can't even begin to understand that,' Fetterman said. Exceptions to the rule In the same vein, Bronx Congressman Ritchie Torres scoffed at an article in The Economist that doubts Iran was actually racing toward a nuke. Noting that the mullahs expanded their stockpile of 60% enriched uranium by 50% — a level far beyond any plausible civilian use, Torres writes on X that 'To cast doubt on Iran's nuclear ambitions at this point requires not just skepticism, but a willful suspension of one's functioning cerebral cortex.' Unfortunately, Fetterman and Torres are exceptions. For the vast majority of Dems, including those with press passes, the rule that Trump must be relentlessly resisted is forcing them into a corner that looks and sounds like a political loony bin. It's not a new phenomenon, but the shocking thing is that neither his second election nor the seriousness of America's problems at home and abroad have cured their derangement. Instead of being selective in their opposition to Trump, they are embracing their madness across the board with increasing intensity. Whatever he's for, they instantly and mindlessly are against. The Iran nuke issue is an especially strange example. As Fetterman and Torres note, the criticism of Israel ignores the crucial point: Iran is seeking a nuclear weapon, has hidden its enrichment facilities for years and lied to UN inspectors. On its face, that would be troubling enough. But the most egregious element is that Iran has pledged not only to develop a nuke — but to use it on Israel. Keep up with today's most important news Stay up on the very latest with Evening Update. Thanks for signing up! Enter your email address Please provide a valid email address. By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Never miss a story. Check out more newsletters An enemy of the US The quivering Dems presumably are saving their full support of Israel for the day after it gets nuked. Then they'll wail and somehow blame Trump. Fortunately, the Jewish state is not in the mood for suicide and so it struck first, hitting enrichment facilities, degrading weapons systems and taking out the military leadership along with top scientists. The refusal of so many on the left to join Trump and back Israel wholeheartedly is all the more absurd when you remember that Iran pledges that after it destroys Israel, which it calls 'the little satan,' it will go after the US, the 'great satan.' That means Israel is attacking a sworn enemy of America, and displaying why it is one of our best and most important allies. Yet still most Dems can't see the moral imperative and national interest in Israel's action. Nor do they understand how the horrible events of Oct. 7 affect Israeli decisionmakers. That was the deadliest day for Jews since the end of the Holocaust, and it would be unforgivable if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and others did nothing to stop Iran's race for nukes. Imagine if one of the ballistic missiles that hit Tel Aviv Saturday was carrying a nuclear warhead. That's the nightmare scenario, and it is reason enough to justify the Israeli strikes. Trump gets that, which is why he and Netanyahu adopted a good cop, bad cop routine. The president sincerely wanted Iran to voluntarily give up its nuclear ambitions and tried to make it happen through two months of direct negotiations. At the same time, he warned repeatedly there would be hell to pay if the Ayatollah said no. How much hell now depends on whether the Supreme Leader faces reality and tries to save himself and his regime by making a deal. If he doesn't, it's entirely possible the US, with its unique 30,000-pound buster bombs, will join Israel in obliterating the nuclear sites. Trump's calibrated, forceful stance is a welcome break with Joe Biden's many missteps after the Hamas attack in 2023. Initially, he was completely in Israel's corner, but, faced with criticism from within his party in an election year, Biden began threatening to withhold munitions unless Israel agreed to limit its responses. He even had Secretary of State Antony Blinken attend Israel's military cabinet meetings to decide which Gaza targets Israel could hit. All the while, Biden, who had lifted some of Trump's oil and banking sanctions on Iran, tried to sweet-talk the regime into another weak nuclear pact. Instead, Iran shifted much of the money to Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis and kept working on developing the bomb. Thankfully, for both Israel and America, those days of Oval Office weakness are over.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
DNI Tulsi Gabbard draws friendly fire from Republicans for video warning of nuclear war
With a cryptic video that Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard posted on X on Tuesday morning, the Democratic-congresswoman-turned-America-First-advocate reignited simmering concerns about the unorthodox intelligence chief among both her longtime detractors and some Republicans who voted to confirm her earlier this year. She obviously needs to change her meds, Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) told Jewish Insider of Gabbard. Kennedy, like all Republicans except Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), voted to confirm Gabbard in February. 'I only saw a post that she did, which I thought was a very strange one since many people believe that, unfortunate though it was, the nuclear bomb that was dropped in World War II at Hiroshima actually saved a lot of lives, a lot of American lives,' Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) told JI of Gabbard's video. In the social media video, Gabbard describes a recent visit to Hiroshima, Japan, where she learned about the toll of the atomic bomb dropped on the city by American troops in 1945, which spurred a Japanese surrender and the end of World War II. She warned that the world faces another 'nuclear holocaust' unless people 'reject this path to nuclear war.' 'This is the reality of whats at stake, what we are facing now, because as we stand here today, closer to the brink of nuclear annihilation than ever before, political elite warmongers are carelessly fomenting fear and tensions between nuclear powers,' said Gabbard, not specifying who she was referring to by 'political elite warmongers' or which countries she may have been calling out. Gabbard's video decrying 'warmongers' prompted concern from Republicans seeking a more traditionally conservative foreign policy worldview. 'She seems to be doing her best audition to be head of the Quincy Institute,' a senior employee at a pro-Israel advocacy group said of Gabbard. One Senate Republican, speaking on condition of anonymity, questioned Gabbard's logic in raising the human toll of Hiroshima and her 'warmongers' comment. Im not sure I understand why the DNI would even need to make that point, the senator said of the Hiroshima focus, later adding: 'I dont seek nuclear war. I dont know anyone who wants nuclear war. Theres plenty of ideological diversity here, but pretty much universal opposition to that. Since taking office, Gabbard, who in 2020 was a surrogate for progressive Sen. Bernie Sanders' (I-VT) presidential campaign, has generally been aligned with the isolationist wing of the Republican Party, which is increasingly ascendant in the Trump administration. William Ruger, the official she tapped for the high-level position that prepares the president's daily intelligence briefing, came from Koch-affiliated institutions and has called for 'American restraint' on the world stage. During her nomination battle, Gabbard faced criticism, including from some Republicans — focused in particular on a congressional trip to Syria in 2017 when she met with Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, her parroting of Russian propaganda about the country's war with Ukraine and her defense of Edward Snowden, the former intelligence official who leaked classified information before fleeing the country. 'It defies belief that someone would be criticizing [President Harry] Trumans act of winning a war. We really need to get back to winning wars when we fight,' Eric Levine, a prominent Republican fundraiser in New York who urged senators to oppose Gabbard's confirmation, told JI on Tuesday. Levine raised concerns about Gabbard's ability to influence President Donald Trump's approach to Iran, as nuclear negotiations between the U.S. and Iran are set to continue this weekend. He said that if Trump does the 'right thing' —meaning he ends the Iran negotiations and supports a strike on Iran's nuclear infrastructure —then the U.S. will 'save a lot of lives, just like Harry Truman did, and will not require the dropping of a nuclear bomb.' 'Im very concerned about the isolationist wing of the Republican Party,' Levine continued. 'I dont know whos winning out, because we dont know what the end result is in Iran yet.' Several Republican senators questioned why Gabbard would make the video in the first place. 'I thought it was not appropriate,' Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) told JI. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) described the impact of the bomb as 'horrible' but said it was necessary to end the war, in which his father had fought. 'Dropping those bombs probably saved a million servicemens lives. If you dont want to get nuked, dont start barbaric wars,' Graham told JI. 'I think its a horrible thing to happen to people, but it was brought on by Japan, and if I were Harry Truman, I would have done the same thing because the casualty estimates were a million dead Americans invading mainland Japan.' Alexa Henning, Gabbard's deputy chief of staff, declined to say whether Gabbard was referring in the video to a specific nation or to specific people. Acknowledging the past is critical to inform the future. President Trump has repeatedly stated in the past that he recognizes the immeasurable suffering, and annihilation can be caused by nuclear war, which is why he has been unequivocal that we all need to do everything possible to work towards peace,' Henning said in a statement. 'DNI Gabbard supports President Trump's clearly stated objectives of bringing about lasting peace and stability and preventing war. Despite the criticism coming even from some allies, Gabbard's views do not appear to have gone outside the realm of what Trump hopes to see from her. Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), a personal friend of Gabbard's from their shared time in the House, defended Gabbard's post and her service as DNI. I think shes doing a great job … Shes doing exactly what the president wanted her to do,' Mullin told JI. People have been critical of her, and this is D.C., right? Youre going to get criticized for walking down the stairs wrong, so criticism is part of the job.'
News18
06-06-2025
- Politics
- News18
US Senator 'Not Optimistic' About Iran-US deal, IRGC Chief Warns Israel, Putin To Visit Iran
Sen. Jim Risch, the top Republican on the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee has expressed scepticism over Iran reaching a deal with the US. Risch said that he is 'not particularly optimistic' that a deal with Iran that stops it from enriching uranium can be reached, as per a report by Jewish Insider. The US lawmaker added that if Iran does not agree to a deal, 'Israel is going to do something about that.'Meanwhile, the Commander-in-Chief of Iran's IRGC, Major General Hossein Salami, has declared that Iran is fully prepared to face any possible scenario. Addressing recent Israeli threats, Salami stated that the Israelis 'know well what our capabilities are.' He also issued a stern warning that any party involved in a potential attack on Iran would regret it, in an apparent reference to the US. Gen. Salami vowed a response 'stronger and broader than those seen in the True Promise 1 and 2', Iran's strikes on Israel last year. n18oc_world n18oc_crux0:00 INTRODUCTION1:58 'ISRAELIS KNOW WELL WHAT OUR CAPABILITIES ARE'3:54 KHAMENEI'S AIDE SLAMS US NUKE PROPOSAL5:48 PUTIN READY TO 'FACILITATE & CONTRIBUTE' TO IRAN NUKE DEAL TALKS
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Zohran Mamdani still won't say Israel has a right to exist as Jewish state — and faces quick backlash from Andrew Cuomo during debate
Leading mayoral candidate Andrew Cuomo erupted when lefty state Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani again refused to say Israel has a right to exist as a 'Jewish state' near the end of a chaotic debate Wednesday night. The heated moment came as moderators turned to the issue of Israel and its war in Gaza, which has become a central issue in the June 24 Democratic primary. 'I believe Israel has a right to exist,' Mamdani said, to which the moderator replied, 'As a Jewish state?' 'As a state with equal rights,' he replied. Cuomo, as well as longshot candidate Whitney Tilson, quickly seized on the remark, with the ex-gov emphasizing that Mamdani had declined to say the nation should exist as a Jewish state. 'And his answer was no, he won't visit Israel,' Cuomo said in reference to an earlier response from Mamdani — which came after candidates were asked where they would go on their first international visit if elected. 'Unlike you, I answer questions very directly,' Mamdani snapped at Cuomo, 'and I want to be very clear I believe every state should be a state of equal rights.' Cuomo has gone to great lengths to gain the backing of Jewish voters while Mamdani — who trails the ex-gov by single digits, according to recent polling — has been nagged by ongoing questions about his support in the Jewish community. This isn't the first time the DSA-brand candidate refused to say Israel should exist as a Jewish state. He offered a similar line when talking with Jewish Insider's editor in chief Josh Kraushaar at an event sponsored by the UJA-Federation. 'I believe Israel has a right to exist, and it has a right to exist also with equal rights for all,' he said while also doubling down on his support for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel. The slew of candidates also addressed antisemitism and the Trump administration war with Columbia University that escalated again Wednesday when his Department of Education called on the Ivy League to lose its accreditation over its 'indifference' to the harassment of Jewish students. '[Department of Education Sec. Linda] McMahon is not an educator, and Trump has no interest in funding our education,' Jessica Ramos said. 'He is trying to make our education less accessible to students.' Mamdani called it a 'gross overreach' while former state Assembly member Michael Blake called it 'unacceptable.' Still, candidates mostly acknowledged that antisemitism has spiked in the Big Apple since Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel and the subsequent conflict in Gaza. 'This is a frightening time for Jews,' City Comptroller Brad Lander, who is Jewish, said.
