In New York City mayoral debate, Mamdani is again pressed on Israel and Hamas

Whether the performance reviews came in from the Democratic establishment's must-read paper, The New York Times, the right-wing Rupert Murdoch-owned Wall Street Journal, or the more straight-laced Politico magazine, there was a certain agreement that New York City assemblyman Zohran Mamdani is a winning communicator. 

There was no other mayoral candidate more effective at conveying his message at Thursday's general debate. But whether that means Mamdani is all but assured victory in three weeks' time may be another matter.

The 33-year-old surprise frontrunner - in a race now being watched around the world - largely held his own at an event where all eyes were on his potential stumbles, particularly on the two subjects that have catapulted his brand: America's class divide, and Palestine. 

A Fox News poll released on Friday - but conducted before the debate - showed Mamdani breaking the 50 percent threshold to widen his lead over his two main rivals: Independent candidate and former New York governor Andrew Cuomo, and Republican Curtis Sliwa. 

Among likely voters, as of last week, 52 percent said they would vote for Mamdani compared to 28 percent who would vote for Cuomo. Sliwa trails behind with just 14 percent support. 

Cuomo spent a decade running the state of New York before resigning in disgrace in 2020. He lost the mayoral Democratic primary in June to Mamdani, so he decided to jump back in as an Independent. 

He is, by all accounts, the antithesis to Mamdani's messaging: a billionaire from a well-connected family who is bankrolled by pro-Israel lobbying groups.

So what did they say on the key issues?

Israel

Cuomo, who has long been endorsed by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (Aipac), demanded that Mamdani recognise Israel as specifically a "Jewish state," and accused him of not denouncing the phrase "globalise the intifada," which, Cuomo said, means "kill all Jews".

Intifada is the Arabic word for uprising, and it has grown in use across pro-Palestine mobilisations calling for an end to the Israeli occupation of Palestine.

"The assemblyman will not denounce Hamas. The assemblyman will not denounce Hasan Piker, who said America deserved 9/11," Cuomo said, referencing the famous Turkish-American streamer.

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"Many of his positions don't even follow the Muslim faith," Cuomo added, seemingly intended as a jab at the Muslim candidate.

"It took Andrew Cuomo being beaten by a Muslim candidate in the Democratic primary for him to set foot in a mosque. He had more than 10 years, and he couldn't name a single mosque at the last debate we had that he visited. And it took me to get you to even see those Muslims are part of this city, and that, frankly, is something that is shameful," Mamdani responded.

"I have denounced Hamas again and again. It will never be enough for Andrew Cuomo, because what he is willing to say, even though not on this stage, is to call me - the first Muslim on the precipice of leading this city - a terrorist sympathiser." 

Mamdani called Piker's statements "objectionable and reprehensible", and said that while he does recognise Israel's right to exist, he "will not recognise any state's right to exist with a system of hierarchy on the basis of race or religion". 

Cuomo, Mamdani added, would not understand the violation of international law that is the Israeli occupation, because he is part of the team assembled to defend the Israeli prime minister in the face of charges involving war crimes and crimes against humanity brought against him by the International Criminal Court (ICC). 

On the key sticking point stemming from US President Donald Trump's 20-point plan for Gaza, Mamdani said he believes Hamas "should lay down their arms", but that "calling for a ceasefire means... all parties have to cease fire and put down their weapons". 

As was the case with the Democratic primary debate in June, the candidates were asked where they would go on their first foreign visit as mayor of New York City.

Most, including Cuomo, said Israel. Mamdani said he would remain in the city because he would be focused on his constituents. 

That prompted the inevitable follow-up from moderators that seemed eager to know exactly where he stands: Would he visit Israel at all as mayor?

"You need not visit Israel to stand up for Jewish New Yorkers," Mamdani said. "I'll be meeting them... in their synagogues and temples."

Some one million Jews live in New York City. There are roughly the same number of Muslims.

Trump

The president has made it very clear that he will pursue punitive measures against his hometown of New York City, as well as against the mayor himself, if Mamdani wins.

"We have a Communist, 33 years old, doesn't know a thing, probably never worked a day in his life, and he sort of caught on. I'm not going to send a lot of money to New York," Trump said earlier this week.

A city as influential and as densely populated as New York City still requires federal funding, and those requests have to go through the White House. Trump, however, operates transactionally and bases his decisions on personal relationships. 

"I know how to deal with Donald Trump because I've dealt with him before," Cuomo, who has known Trump for decades but also had his disagreements with him, said at the debate. 

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"He has to know he's up against an adversary who can actually beat him" when it comes to defending New York's liberal values, Cuomo added.

"I am the last person on this stage that Mr Trump wants to see as mayor, and that's why I should be the first choice for the people of the city," he said.

Mamdani said that the title belongs to him.

"I am Donald Trump's worst nightmare as a progressive Muslim immigrant who actually fights for the things that I believe in, and the difference between myself and Andrew Cuomo is that my campaign is not funded by the very billionaires who put Donald Trump in DC."

That said, "Trump will target whomever is the next mayor of the city," Mamdani said.

"We saw that New Yorkers are being taken off the streets [by immigration officers] in their apartment building lobbies. We have $80m being taken off our city bank account. So I don't think there's any question that there's any mayor here that will be free from being attacked by Donald Trump."

Cuomo, who repeatedly flubbed the pronunciation of Mamdani's name, said the assemblyman had no experience that could prepare him for the scope of the office.  

"Mr Mamdani is very good on Twitter and with videos, but he actually produces nothing... Donald Trump would go through Mr Mamdani like a hot knife through butter. He's been in government 27 minutes. He passed three bills. That's all he's done. He has no experience with Washington." 

“What I don’t have in experience, I make up for in integrity, and what you don’t have in integrity, you could never make up for in experience," Mamdani quipped.

Affordability

This is where Mamdani sees himself as a champion for a cause that has caused the greatest amount of strife in America, and by extension has led to a decline in health outcomes and an increase in violence, leading to the divisions we see today. 

"We are live here in the most expensive city in the United States of America. One in four New Yorkers are living in poverty," he said at the debate.

"To make this city affordable, I will do so by freezing rent for more than two million rent-stabilised tenants, by making the slowest buses in the country fast and free, and by delivering universal childcare. And I will pay for this by taxing the one percent -  the billionaires and the profitable corporations - that Mr Cuomo cares more about than working class New Yorkers". 

That platform is what catapulted the Democratic Socialist to the top of the mayoral race, and simultaneously outraged New York City's wealthiest residents.

"I think we have a management crisis... I think we have a fiscal crisis where the city is spending more than it is taking in, and I think we have a societal crisis where we have division and hate. Unaffordability? Raise the minimum wage, put more money in people's pockets... [and] build more affordable housing," Cuomo said of his approach. 

The average dwelling for a single individual in Manhattan - the most expensive of the city's five boroughs - now exceeds $4,500 a month, and the US is still grappling with levels of inflation that have only slightly cooled since the Covid-19 pandemic.

Mamdani described being in his first year in the state legislature, when Cuomo was governor and refused to raise taxes on billionaires and corporations.

"I have experience in this... we actually overcame his objections, raised $4b in new annual revenue, and finally funded the very public schools that he had starved for so many years," Mamdani said. 

"If you think that the problem in this city is that my rent is too low, vote for him. If you know the problem in this city is that your rent is too high, vote for me". 

The general election to decide New York City's next mayor is on 4 November.