New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani was grilled Monday night during an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, where the pro-Hamas Assemblyman was asked to address Jewish voters’ concerns about his record on Israel.
“Does the state of Israel have the right to exist?” Colbert asked Mamdani at the start of the interview.
Stay informed with JBN email alerts! Get the latest updates on breaking stories, global events, and community news directly in your inbox.“Yes, like all nations, I believe it has a right to exist — and a responsibility also to uphold international law,” Mamdani replied.
Colbert then asked Mamdani to respond to Jewish New Yorkers who are concerned that, given his record, he wouldn’t be a mayor who protects their community.
“I know where that fear is coming from. It’s a fear based on the horrific attacks we’ve seen in Washington, D.C., in Boulder, Colorado… and it’s a fear I hear from New Yorkers themselves,” Mamdani said in response. “Ultimately, this is because we are seeing a crisis of antisemitism. That’s why, at the heart of my proposal for a Department of Community Safety, is a commitment to increase funding for anti-hate crime programming by 800 percent.”
“I know there are many New Yorkers with whom I have a disagreement about the Israeli government’s policies. But there are also many who understand that our disagreement is still rooted in shared humanity,” he continued. “If you agree with me on nine out of 12 issues, vote for me. Twelve out of 12? See a psychiatrist.”
Mamdani also condemned Israel’s defensive actions in Gaza as “genocide.”
“What we are doing in Gaza is a war of devastation. It is cruel, it is indiscriminate, it is limitless — it is criminal killing of civilians,” he said — a statement that disturbingly drew applause from the studio audience.
Notably, Colbert did not press Mamdani on why he refused to condemn the slogan “globalize the intifada,” which drew criticism from the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum last week.
“Exploiting the Museum and the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising to sanitize ‘globalize the intifada’ is outrageous and especially offensive to survivors. Since 1987, Jews have been attacked and murdered under its banner. All leaders must condemn its use and the abuse of history,” the museum said in a statement.
In a city home to nearly 1 million Jews, New York’s Jewish vote could prove decisive in rejecting a candidate with a long record of antisemitic policies.
During a Democratic mayoral debate earlier this month, Mamdani openly identified himself as part of an “anti-Zionist movement.” When asked whether Israel has the right to exist as a Jewish state, he responded, “I believe Israel has the right to exist, as a state with equal rights.” Cuomo immediately fired back, “Not as a Jewish state,” and pointed out that Mamdani also refused to commit to visiting Israel if elected.
Seeking to boost progressive turnout, fellow Israeli critic Senator Bernie Sanders threw his support behind Mamdani last Thursday, praising his campaign as a rejection of “billionaire-backed” politics. Primary voting begins today, with Mamdani polling at just 27% compared to Cuomo’s commanding 38% lead, according to the latest HarrisX/Manhattan Institute poll.
Mamdani learned how to lie in Iran with the ayatollah
Brand Lander is an Erev Rav
Two extremely dangerous for the Jewish population at large
Don’t vote for those gangsters!!!
Yes Mamdani should not be elected as Mayor because Isreal is a Jewish State.
Yet again, another so-called wanna-be ‘leader’ who brashly stated, “What we are doing in Gaza is a war of devastation. It is cruel, it is indiscriminate, it is limitless — it is criminal killing of civilians.” LIMITLESS?!? Hello: The Israeli People and their world-class military TOLD YOU ALL – the whole world – ‘RETURN THE HOSTAGES’! That’s where, when, why and how this war stops: RETURN THE HOSAGES! Last hostage home, last IDF soldier leaves Gaza. Seems simple enough to me. Muslims worldwide are being played by their true ‘god,’ SATAN. In The End, they will get exactly what they were aiming for the Israelites to receive – but it will be themselves which will submit to it: DEATH. Death EVERLASTING, as they themselves yearned for everyone not themselves to receive.
His citizenship should be revoked, absolutely. Someone needs to tell him along the way the America is NOT, never has been, and NEVER WILL BE a ‘democracy.’ The United States of America was formed as a Constitutional Republic, and there’s a WORLD OF DIFFERENCE between those two forms of governance.