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When New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani accuses Israel of “apartheid,” he is ignoring the fact that in Israel, there is no distinction in the civil and political rights enjoyed by Jews and Arabs. Arabs serve on the Supreme Court, sit in the Knesset, go abroad as diplomats representing Israel. Until recently, the head of Israel’s largest bank, the Bank Leumi, was an Arab. Jews and Arabs work together in offices and factories. Jewish and Arab medical personnel treat Jews and Arabs in the same hospitals. Jews and Arabs play in the same orchestras, and on the same sports teams. Jews and Arabs start businesses together, everything from restaurants to high-tech start-ups. There is only one difference in the treatment of Jews and Arabs in Israel: Jews must, while Arabs may, serve in the military. When makes his outrageous remarks, either his political rivals or journalists should question him at once, prepared to hold his claims up to critical inspection. So far, even as they denounce him for his charges against Israel, including his most outrageous charge, that the IDF is committing “genocide,” they have failed to state exactly why those charges are baseless. More on Mamdani’s charges can be found here: “Mamdani says he’ll recognize Israel ‘not as Jewish state,’ claims genocide in Gaza during debate,” Jerusalem Post, October 17, 2025:
“I want to be very clear that the occupation is a reference to international law and the violation of it, which Mr. Cuomo has no regard for since he signed up to be Benjamin Netanyahu’s legal defense team during the course of this genocide,” Mamdani said.
There was no “occupation” of Gaza on October 6. The IDF entered Gaza on October 7 to destroy Hamas in a war for Israel’s survival. That does not constitute an “occupation.” Mamdani claims that by fighting in Gaza against a terror group that murdered 1,200 people, almost all of them Israelis, Israel is “violating” international law. There is no “international law” that forbids a country from striking back at an enemy that has murdered its citizens. Think of the American attack deep inside Pakistan to kill Osama Bin Laden.
However, his statement was challenged by Cuomo, who pointed out that Mamdani has declined to condemn the use of the phrase ‘globalize the intifada.’
“Globalize the Intifada” can have only one meaning: just as Intifadas 1 and 2 were directed at murdering Israelis, to ”globalize the intifada” is a call for killing not just Israelis, but Jews everywhere. Yet Mamdani refuses to condemn this call for murdering Jews wherever they are found.
“Why wouldn’t he condemn Hamas? Why wouldn’t he condemn Hasan Piker?” Cuomo asked, referring to the popular influencer who has repeatedly been accused of antisemitism, including by New York Democratic congressman Ritchie Torres.
Hasan Piker posted on social media that “America deserved 9/11” and similar sentiments denouncing America for its role in the Middle East, and defending the terrorists who have only been, in his view, legitimately striking at their oppressors in Washington. Mamdani took two years before denouncing Piker’s remarks, at the debate with Cuomo and Sliwa. And even then he did not offer a wholesale condemnation of Piker, but only of certain statements which Mamdani found “objectionable and reprehensible.” Not exactly the kind of full-throated condemnation of Piker that he ought to have delivered.
While Mamdani stated he found Piker’s comments to be “objectionable and reprehensible,” he insisted that he would refuse to recognize Israel as an explicitly Jewish state.
“I’ve said time and again that I recognize Israel’s right to exist,” he said. “I would not recognize any state’s right to exist with a system of hierarchy on the basis of race or religion.”
There are two replies to this. First, there is no such “system of hierarchy” in Israel. Jews and Arabs have the same civil, religious, and political rights. Second, there are countries with “a system of hierarchy on the basis of religion” — that is, most Muslim-majority countries. In Saudi Arabia, Iran, Egypt, Qatar, Pakistan, Yemen, among other Muslim states, non-Muslims live in a state of constant insecurity and even, in some of those countries, are mistreated or even persecuted because of their non-Muslim faith. But Mamdani was not asked if he thinks the United States should withdraw recognition from those countries. It would be helpful if Cuomo were to ask Mamdani about this. To wit, “Do you, Mr. Mamdani, think that we should withdraw recognition from several dozen Muslim states because of their ‘system of hierarchy’ that so blatantly discriminates against non-Muslims?”
I think I know how Mamdani would answer this: “Well, I’m not aware of such discrimination. But I’ll be glad to look into it.” And then he’d turn back to the “genocide” supposedly being carried out by the IDF.
