\u201cI don\u2019t think the mayor of New York should be exercising his or her political judgment in arresting world leaders based on their politics,\u201d Cuomo said.<\/p>\n
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\t\t\t\tBy signing up, you agree to the terms<\/a><\/p>\n Nonetheless, Cuomo distanced himself from Netanyahu in the NYT interview<\/a>. Last year, Cuomo volunteered to join the Israeli premier\u2019s defense team to help repel the International Criminal Court\u2019s arrest warrant against the prime minister. Cuomo said in the interview that he meant to contest the court\u2019s jurisdiction, not claims about Netanyahu\u2019s complicity in war crimes, and indicated that he had not allied himself with the prime minister over the issue. \u201cI never stood with Bibi,\u201d Cuomo said, using Netanyahu\u2019s nickname.<\/p>\n Mamdani has cited the court\u2019s warrant as his grounds for arresting Netanyahu.<\/p>\n \t Zohran Mamdani, Democratic nominee for New York City Mayor, speaks during a news conference at the headquarters of SEIU Local 32BJ in New York City on July 30, 2025. (Timothy A. Clary\/AFP)<\/p>\n Cuomo declined to say if the Israeli military has committed war crimes in Gaza.<\/p>\n Later Monday, at a press event, Cuomo seemed to walk back the criticism of Israel expressed in The Times interview.<\/p>\n \u201cI have not shifted my position at all. I am a proud supporter of Israel,\u201d he said. \u201cThe situation is horrific. The carnage is horrific. I pray for peace. I pray for an end to the violence. I pray for the hostages to be returned, and Hamas has to be eliminated.\u201d<\/p>\n A Cuomo spokesperson, Rich Azzopardi, posted on X<\/a> that, when Cuomo said he never stood with Netanyahu, he was referring to political support, and that the two had \u201cnever had a political conversation.\u201d<\/p>\n Last month, Cuomo criticized the Gaza war in milder terms.<\/p>\n \u201cDo I support what the Israeli government is doing vis-\u00e0-vis Gaza? No. Do I support Israel impeding humanitarian aid? No,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n He later walked back that criticism as well, saying, \u201cI was airing what some people feel. You have some people who feel that Israel is not acting appropriately. That\u2019s their opinion.\u201d<\/p>\n Cuomo\u2019s Monday denunciation of the war marked a brief shift in tone from the former governor. During the primary campaign, he maintained steadfast support for Israel<\/a> as he aimed to win Jewish voters who were put off by Mamdani\u2019s anti-Israel rhetoric.<\/p>\n Cuomo\u2019s statements are another indication of how the Gaza war has scrambled support for Israel in New York politics and the Democratic Party.<\/p>\n Mamdani caused repeated controversies with his anti-Israel rhetoric during the primary campaign, particularly his defense of the slogan \u201cglobalize the intifada.\u201d After coming under heavy pressure, Mamdani said he would \u201cdiscourage\u201d the use of the phrase.<\/p>\n A poll last week found that, despite the controversies, New York City voters favored Mamdani\u2019s rhetoric on the conflict<\/a>.<\/p>\n Surveys have consistently shown that Democrats and younger Americans are largely critical of Israel, including in the mostly Democratic New York City. A poll<\/a> last week found that 44% of registered New York City voters sympathized more with the Palestinians, and 26% more with Israel. Republicans favored Israel, 57% to 12%, while Democrats supported the Palestinians by a margin of 57% to 18%.<\/p>\n Mamdani defeated Cuomo in the mayoral primary earlier this year in a stunning upset for the upstart 33-year-old. As the Democratic party nominee, he is the heavy favorite to win the general election in November. Cuomo is running as an independent.<\/p>\n New York City is home to a wide array of Jewish communities, each with its own political priorities. Polls have shown that antisemitism and Israel are factors for Jewish voters, but that they, like other New Yorkers, are mostly concerned with everyday issues like crimes, housing and affordability.<\/p>\n Mamdani is divisive among Jewish voters, underlining the fractured Jewish electorate. He was the leading candidate among Jews in the four-way race, with around 37 percent support, according to a July poll by the pro-Israel New York Solidarity Network<\/a>. That figure is similar to his support among the non-Jewish population.<\/p>\n While 60% of Jews were opposed to Mamdani, their support was divided among the other mayoral candidates. Also in the race are Mayor Eric Adams, another pro-Israel moderate, and Republican Curtis Sliwa.<\/p>\n Just over half of the city\u2019s Jews believe Mamdani is antisemitic, and 58% believe the city will be less safe for Jews if Mamdani is elected, the poll found.<\/p>\n \t Illustrative: New York State Governor Kathy Hochul speaks during a press conference announcing actions to combat hate crimes, at her office in New York City on November 22, 2022. (Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY \/ AFP)<\/p>\n On Sunday, New York Governor Kathy Hochul, another pro-Israel moderate, endorsed Mamdani\u2019s candidacy<\/a>, saying the two had discussed antisemitism.<\/p>\n Hochul is up for reelection next year. Endorsing Mamdani may shore up her support on the left, but opens her up to attacks from the right, including on Jewish issues.<\/p>\n Sara Forman, the head of the New York Solidarity Network, said on Monday, \u201cAs we have long appreciated Governor Kathy Hochul\u2019s support for the Jewish community, we disagree with her decision to endorse Zohran Mamdani, who does not share those same values.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGovernor Hochul noted the need for Mr. Mamdani to work alongside her in the fight to combat antisemitism, and we will continue to wait for Mr. Mamdani\u2019s actions to match his words,\u201d Forman told The Times of Israel.<\/p>\n One of Hochul\u2019s leading challengers in the mayoral race is expected to be New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, a Republican from upstate New York.<\/p>\n Stefanik lashed Hochul after her endorsement of Mamdani, saying in a statement: \u201cIt was only a matter of time before the Worst Governor in America [Kathy Hochul] would bend the knee to the Communist Antisemite Zohran Mamdani.\u201d<\/p>\n \t Rep. Elise Stefanik, a New York Republican, questions university leaders during a House Committee on Education and Workforce Committee hearing on Capitol Hill, in Washington, DC, July 15, 2025. (AP\/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)<\/p>\n Antisemitism is a concern for New York leaders because Jews\u00a0are targeted in hate crimes\u00a0in New York City far more than any other group<\/a>. New York City is home to the largest Jewish community in the world outside Israel.<\/p>\n Mamdani has condemned antisemitism<\/a>, vowed to combat anti-Jewish discrimination and released plans for countering antisemitism and other hate crimes. He has focused his campaign on housing and affordability.<\/p>\n He told\u00a0Bloomberg<\/a>\u00a0this week that, if elected, he will stop using the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism. Adams\u00a0ordered the city\u00a0to use the IHRA definition<\/a> earlier this year.<\/p>\n Adams, a moderate who shares a similar base with Cuomo, has held his pro-Israel line during the campaign.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/AFP__20250730__68CR2UD__v2__HighRes__UsCrimeShootingMamdani.jpg\")
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