POLITICS: Dems are finally speaking up on Mamdani’s antisemitism — while New York’s leaders remain silent

Did you hear the good news? Some top Democrats finally are finding the courage to slam Zohran Mamdani’s sickening embrace of antisemitism.

Sadly, the news comes with a catch: the big Dems doing the right thing are not from New York.

A reasonable conclusion is that the continuing silence from Gov. Hochul, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries means they are fine with the fact that their party’s nominee to be New York City’s next mayor is a bigot.

If ever there was an example of party loyalty being a vice and not a virtue, this is it. The silence is outrageous.

Of course, Hochul, Schumer and Jeffries wouldn’t dare be quiet if Mamdani was overtly anti-black or anti-Latino, but Jews and Israel are fair game and held to a double standard.

The pols’ refusal to speak up also reflects how an anti-Israel movement has become a powerful force in their party.

The New York Times, citing a Pew Research poll, reports that “Nearly seven in 10 Dems nationally now express an unfavorable view of Israel, compared with 37 percent of Republicans.”

‘Space for extremists’

Given those numbers, the state’s top Dems must know that criticizing Mamdani on Israel would not be well received by many voters, especially the young socialists who are the driving force in the Queens assemblyman’s rocket rise.

As a result, anti-Israeli voters, at least some of them antisemites, are now a bloc to be reckoned with in the party, nationally as well as in New York.

The leaders who are not afraid to speak the truth about Mamdani’s bigotry are Josh Shapiro, the governor of Pennsylvania, and Rahm Emanuel, the former ambassador to Japan and the former mayor of Chicago.

In separate interviews with other outlets, both men, who are Jewish, focused on Mamdani’s continuing refusal to denounce the phrase, “Globalize the intifada.”

Shapiro told the Jewish Insider that Mamdani “left open far too much space for extremists to either use his words or for him to not condemn the words of extremists that said some blatantly antisemitic things.”

He was referring to the fact that Mamdani, a Muslim, defended the intifada slogan by saying it reflects “a desperate desire for equality and equal rights in standing up for Palestinian human rights.”

In reality, the phrase is widely understood as a call to commit violence against Jews anywhere and everywhere. It is often paired by college radicals with another hateful phrase, “From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be Free.”

That one is a clear call for the elimination of Israel and the mass murder of the 7 million Jews who live there.

On NBC’s “Meet the Press,” anchor Kristen Welker gave Mamdani multiple chances to denounce “globalize the intifada,” but he refused, saying only, “That’s not language that I use.”

“The language that I use, and the language that I will continue to use to lead this city, is that which speaks clearly to my intent, which is an intent grounded in the belief in universal human rights,” he added.

See, he believes in human rights– — unless you are a Jew, especially one living Iin the Jewish homeland.

Mamdani has been harshly critical of Israel for years and supports the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, which would have American universities and companies boycott Israeli schools and products. If he were mayor, would city schools join the extremist movement?

‘Would arrest Bibi’

He also regularly condemns Israel’s military actions in Gaza, which he foolishly calls “genocide.” He said that if he were mayor, Gotham would arrest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he visited, citing the International Criminal Court’s unjustified warrant.

These positions are especially stunning in light of the fact that the city he wants to lead has the largest Jewish population of any city in the world.

Shapiro, in his criticism, said leaders “have to speak and act with moral clarity, and when supporters of yours say things that are blatantly antisemitic, you can’t leave room for that to just sit there. You’ve got to condemn that.”

Emanuel, who was also chief of staff during the Obama administration, made his criticism during a podcast with Free Press founder Bari Weiss.

He said, “I’ve never met Mamdani, but he strikes me, from a distance, as a very smart, sensitive person. But to not be sensitive to that is incredibly off-kilter to me.

“ And the signs of ‘we’re going to globalize intifada,’ …. . . it means you’re not hearing a big constituency in the city you want to be mayor of.”

Asked by Weiss if a politician who does not condemn “globalizing the intifada” has a place in the party, Emanuel gave a refreshingly clear answer: “No.”

To be sure, as Shapiro and Emanuel noted, all criticism of Israel and its government is not necessarily antisemitic.

Rather, it crosses the line when it goes to Israel’s right to exist and when it is repeatedly singled out for behavior that is considered acceptable by other countries. That’s the disgraceful history of the United Nations, where despotic nations such as China, South Africa and Iran are considered fit to judge Israel on human rights.

The fact is that 2 million Arab Israelis have broad rights, including voting, yet there are next to zero Jews in most Arab and Muslim nations. The double standard reflects the normalization and internationalization of Jew hatred.

That’s the poisonous backdrop to Mamdani’s statements and positions. He also has been silent about Hamas terrorists butchering Israeli women and children and holding hostages in Gaza for a year and 10 months, some of whom were executed.

Similarly, in a 2017 rap song he professed his love for the Holy Land 5 individuals who were convicted by the US of providing material support to Hamas.

A new low

He has never recanted that support, nor has he condemned Iran and its other proxies, Hezbollah and the Houthis, as well as the mullahs’ threats to destroy Israel.

Similarly, the ongoing slaughter of Christians and Druze in Syria by Islamists hasn’t stirred his concern.

His top general election opponents, — two Democrats, Mayor Adams and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, — both faulted Mamdani’s embrace of antisemitic garbage.

As has Curtis Sliwa, the GOP nominee.

Another Democrat who has been openly critical of Mamdani is Bronx Rep. Ritchie Torres, a top supporter of Israel and scourge of the rise of antisemitism in his party.

In response to Torres’ criticism, backers of Mamdani threatened to support primary opponents against Torres.

The point is clear: Israel should no longer count on support from many Dems. Those who dare to back the Jewish state should assume their party will try to boot them from its ranks.

That marks a new low in American politics, and yet top New York Dems still remain silent.

Shame on them.