The frontrunner in New York City's gubernatorial race said on Tuesday that there is no room for pro-Israel voters in his coalition. He argued that progressives should not make any exceptions for people who are "progressive except Palestine."
"That exception is one that I believe we should not only take issue with because of what it means for Palestinians and Palestinian human rights," said during an interview with the New York Times. "But also, whenever you are at peace with the making of an exception, you make it easier to make another exception—wherever, whenever."
In other words, Mamdani wants his coalition to be built solely through voters who provide rhetorical cover for U.S.-designated terrorist organizations like Hamas, and through their rhetoric encourage indefinite conflict, by encouraging the Palestinians to continue fighting a battle they cannot win through force. Though why a candidate for mayor of one of America's most important cities is concerned about foreign policy has escaped me.
The phrase, "progressive except Palestine," many pro-Israel liberals have described as a way to sideline moderate progressives from policy debates. Philip Mendes, a professor at Monash University in Australia, described the phrase as "cynical political strategy to exclude moderate progressives from debates on resolving the Israeli-Palestine conflict" and a "means to discredit progressives who do not support fundamentalist calls for the abolition of the existing Jewish State of Israel."
Mamdani's interview with the New York Times comes shortly after Mamdani released a delayed statement about President Trump's successful brokerage of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. His statement briefly mentioned the hostages returning safely to their families before going on to express far more sympathy for the plight of the Palestinians in the war since October 7, 2023.
