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.
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