Democratic politicians are wary of New York City mayoral hopeful Zohran Mamdani’s claim he is distancing himself from the phrase “globalize the intifada,” which is a rallying cry for violence against Jews.

Mamdani has thus far refused to explicitly denounce the phrase, citing his strong pro-Palestinian beliefs. However, he recently said in a closed-door meeting with New York City business leaders that he would “discourage” use of the chant.

In that same private conversation, Mamdani reportedly downplayed the antisemitic nature of the slogan, describing it as a way to express solidarity with Palestinians, according to a New York Times report.

Earlier in July, Mamdani said during an appearance on Meet the Press that the term was “not language that I use,” but added that “I don’t believe that the role of the mayor is to police speech.”

Mamdani’s decision to “discourage” use of the term does not impress mainstream Democrats, who note that he still declines to publicly condemn the phrase.

“A putative mayor of New York City needs to be able to repudiate calls for ‘intifada’ without ambiguity or qualification, as morally repugnant and unacceptable,” former Democratic politician Rory Lancman told Fox News Digital.

“There is no ‘threading the needle’ or middle ground on this issue — or, for that matter, on the issue of whether Israel should be extinguished as a Jewish state,” Lancman added.

“These are basic, straightforward ‘good vs. evil’ questions that Mr. Mamdani struggles with because, frankly, he’s on the wrong side of that equation.”

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) dismissed Mamdani’s claim that he was unaware the phrase invokes terror.

“It doesn’t matter what meaning you have in your brain. It is not how the word is received. When you use a word like ‘intifada’ — to many Jewish Americans and Jewish New Yorkers, that means you are permissive of violence against Jews,” Gillibrand told local radio station WNYC in late June.

Senator Chuck Schumer, the Senate minority leader, has not endorsed Mamdani for mayor and has expressed concern about his refusal to denounce the slogan.

“What ‘globalize the intifada’ means is really wrong and should be condemned, and I look forward to my discussions with Mr. Mamdani,” Schumer told reporters on Tuesday night, adding that he would meet with the mayoral candidate in the near future.

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