Candidate Zohran Mamdani speaks during a Democratic New York City mayoral primary debate, June 4, 2025, in New York, US. Photo: Yuki Iwamura/Pool via REUTERS

Facing mounting pressure from Jewish community leaders, business executives, and fellow Democrats, New York City mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani has moved to clarify his stance on the controversial slogan “globalize the intifada,” signaling he will discourage its use while continuing to back the broader anti-Israel movement it represents.

In a closed-door meeting this week with over 100 business leaders organized by the Partnership for New York City, Mamdani said he will not use the phrase himself and will urge allies to stop using it as well, attendees told multiple news outlets. The candidate, a democratic socialist and state assemblyman from Queens, emphasized that while the slogan has become a flashpoint, his commitment to the Palestinian movement remains unchanged.

The slogan, which gained traction at pro-Palestinian protests worldwide amid the Israel–Hamas war in Gaza, has been criticized by many Jewish New Yorkers who associate it with calls for violence against Jewish and Israeli civilians. “Intifada,” Arabic for “uprising,” is widely known from two bloody periods of sustained Palestinian terrorism against Israelis. Many observers have argued that calls to “globalize the intifada” will encourage activists to take up political violence worldwide, especially against the Jewish community and supporters of Israel.

“I heard from Jewish New Yorkers who told me that phrase brings up very real fear,” Mamdani reportedly said in the meeting. “That’s not the intention I want to convey.”

Nonetheless, Mamdani was clear that he does not view “globalize the intifada” as inherently violent. Instead, he said it symbolizes a transnational protest against what he calls Israeli “apartheid.” He described it as a call for political pressure, boycott movements, and international solidarity, not physical confrontation.

Last month, Mamdani defended the phrase “globalize the intifada” by invoking the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising during World War II. In response, the US Holocaust Memorial Museum repudiated the mayoral candidate, calling his comments “outrageous and especially offensive to [Holocaust] survivors.”

Mamdani’s attempt to reframe the slogan has drawn mixed reactions. Some Democratic leaders have said the clarification doesn’t go far enough.

High-profile Democrats in the US Congress from New York such as Rep. Ritchie Torres, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand have all urged Mamdani to condemn the slogan, arguing that the phrase has violent connotations.

New York City’s Jewish community, already alarmed by a rise in antisemitic incidents since Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, invasion of southern Israel, has expressed deep concern over Mamdani’s embrace of language they consider inflammatory. Leaders from groups such as the UJA-Federation and the Anti-Defamation League have called on him to unequivocally disavow the slogan.

Mamdani’s team has pushed back against claims that the phrase advocates violence, pointing to other progressive politicians who have used similar language in solidarity with Palestinian movements. In recent days, his campaign has worked to strike a more conciliatory tone, especially in conversations with Jewish leaders and the business elite.

During the private gathering, which reportedly included executives from Pfizer, Uber, major real estate firms, and banking institutions, Mamdani reiterated policy goals that have rattled the city’s corporate class: tax hikes on high earners, rent freezes, and public investment in city-run grocery stores. He also emphasized his opposition to police budget increases, while pledging to expand mental health crisis response programs as an alternative.

While many attendees remain skeptical of Mamdani’s politics, several expressed cautious optimism after the event.

Mamdani is expected to hold additional meetings with labor unions, faith groups, and small business owners in the coming weeks as he attempts to broaden his coalition ahead of November’s general election. With incumbent Mayor Eric Adams and former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo both running as independents, the race remains hotly contested, although Mamdani is generally considered the frontrunner in the largely Democratic city.

The post Mamdani Says He Will Discourage Use of ‘Globalize the Intifada,’ Reaffirms Commitment to Anti-Israel Movement first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas speaks to the media as she arrives at the 5th EU-Southern Neighbourhood Ministerial meeting in Brussels, Belgium, July 14, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Yves Herman

Israel welcomed the European Union’s decision not to pursue punitive action against the Jewish state over the war in Gaza, calling it “an important diplomatic victory” as some member states push to undermine Jerusalem’s military campaign against the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas in the war-torn enclave.

On Tuesday, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas announced that the bloc would not impose sanctions on Israel, following a meeting of EU foreign ministers to address the issue.

In a post on X, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar praised the news as the result of a “complex, grueling, and multi-front diplomatic battle.”

“The attempt to impose sanctions on a democratic country defending itself against efforts to destroy it is outrageous,” the top Israeli diplomat said, expressing gratitude to Israel’s allies in Europe who helped block the punitive measures.

ישראל עומדת מזה קרוב לשנתיים במערכה צבאית במספר חזיתות. אבל היא עומדת גם במערכה מדינית מורכבת, מפרכת ורבת חזיתות.
היום השגנו הישג מדיני חשוב כשעלה בידנו להדוף את כל סוגי הניסיונות האובססיביים של מספר מדינות לנקוט סנקציות נגד ישראל באיחוד האירופי. אותן מדינות לא הציעו, למשל,… pic.twitter.com/j4ivwv2WUF

— Gideon Sa’ar | גדעון סער (@gidonsaar) July 15, 2025

Speaking at a press conference following the Brussels meeting, Kaja Kallas noted “positive signs” in Israel’s progress toward fulfilling last week’s agreement with the EU to increase humanitarian access to Gaza, while emphasizing that “more concrete steps” remain necessary.

The top EU diplomat stated that the bloc will carefully watch Israel’s execution of the agreement — which aims to open additional crossings, increase aid and food shipments, support critical infrastructure repairs, and protect aid workers.

According to Kallas, if Israel fails to follow through on the agreed measures, the bloc will reconsider imposing punitive actions against Jerusalem, with an update on its compliance to be presented at the next foreign ministers’ meeting in two weeks.

“We will keep these options on the table and stand ready to act,” Kallas said.

During this week’s meeting, the bloc discussed 10 potential measures against Israel over alleged violations of human rights commitments under the EU-Israel Association Agreement — a pact governing the EU’s political and economic ties with the Jewish state — such as suspending trade-related deals and imposing arms embargoes.

Despite efforts by some European countries to undermine Israel’s defensive campaign against Hamas in Gaza, there was not enough support within the EU to take any action, as Jerusalem still retains significant backing among member states.

In an interview with Euronews, the Palestinian Authority’s Foreign Minister, Varsen Aghabekian Shahin, condemned the EU’s decision not to take action against Israel, describing it as “shocking and disappointing.”

“These violations have been unfolding in front of everybody’s eyes. The whole world has been seeing what is happening in Gaza. The killing. The atrocities, the war crimes, the weaponization of food, the killing of people queuing to get a pack of flour,” Shahin said.

This latest anti-Israel initiative follows a recent EU-commissioned report accusing Israel of committing “indiscriminate attacks … starvation … torture … [and] apartheid” against Palestinians in Gaza during its military campaign against Hamas, an internationally designated terrorist group.

According to the report, “there are indications that Israel would be in breach of its human rights obligations” under the 25-year-old EU-Israel Association Agreement.

While the document acknowledges the reality of violence by Hamas, it states that this issue lies outside its scope — failing to address the Palestinian terrorist group’s role in sparking the current war with its invasion of and massacre across southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

Israeli officials have slammed the report as factually incorrect and morally flawed, noting that Hamas embeds its military infrastructure within civilian targets and Israel’s army takes extensive precautions to try and avoid civilian casualties.

Following calls from a majority of EU member states for a formal investigation, last month’s report builds on Belgium’s recent decision to review Israel’s compliance with the trade agreement, a process initiated by the Netherlands and led by Kallas.

Last month, Ireland became the first European nation to push forward legislation banning trade with Israeli communities in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, an effort officials say is meant “to address the horrifying situation” in the Gaza Strip.

Ireland’s decision comes after a 2024 advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) declared Israel’s presence in the West Bank and East Jerusalem illegal.

The ICJ ruled that third countries must avoid trade or investment that supports “the illegal situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.”

The post EU Rejects Sanctions on Israel Amid Diplomatic Battle, PA Condemns Decision as ‘Shocking and Disappointing’ first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

Donald Trump’s then-defense lawyer Alan Dershowitz answers questions from US senators during the president’s impeachment trial. Photo: Reuters/US Senate TV

With political controversy surrounding the Trump administration’s pivot toward a reluctance to release further files on the crimes and associates of Jeffrey Epstein — the late multi-millionaire sex trafficker who committed suicide at 66 on Aug. 10, 2019 — his former attorney Alan Dershowitz has started to speak out, addressing speculation promoted by both left-wing and right-wing influencers of alleged involvement by Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency.

Dershowitz — an emeritus professor of law at Harvard University, prominent pro-Israel advocate, and author of the new book The Preventive State: The Challenge of Preventing Serious Harms While Preserving Essential Liberties — flatly rejected the suggestion that Epstein had worked as a spy.

In an interview with The Telegraph, Dershowitz said that if Epstein did have intelligence connections, then the disgraced financier would have revealed them to him in order “to try to get him a better deal” with the initial prosecutions that resulted in what has widely been characterized as a light sentence received on June 30, 2008. “That’s not something he would keep from his lawyers. That’s something he would tell his lawyers,” Dershowitz explained.

Recounting a conversation with his former client about working with spies, Dershowitz said, “we discussed it, and the answer was no. He laughed. No intelligence agency would really trust him.”

Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett affirmed Dershowitz’s position, saying on Monday that “with the Mossad having reported directly to me, I say to you with 100 percent certainty: The accusation that Jeffrey Epstein somehow worked for Israel or the Mossad running a blackmail ring is categorically and totally false.”

Bennett identified the theory’s most prominent advocate, saying that “this accusation is a lie being peddled by prominent online personalities such as Tucker Carlson pretending they know things they don’t.”

On Friday at the Turning Point USA summit in Tampa, Florida, a gathering of right-wing college student activists organized by the group’s CEO Charlie Kirk heard Carlson lay out his personal speculations about the Epstein case.

“And I think the real answer is Jeffrey Epstein was working on behalf of intel services, probably not American,” Carlson, a former Fox News host turned podcaster provocateur, told attendees. “And we have every right to ask, on whose behalf was he working? How does a guy go from being a math teacher at the Dalton School in the late 70s with no college degree to having multiple airplanes, a private island, and the largest residential house in Manhattan? Where did all the money come from? And no one has ever gotten to the bottom of that because no one has ever tried.”

Carlson added, “Moreover, it’s extremely obvious to anyone who watches, that this guy had direct connections to a foreign government. Now, no one’s allowed to say that the foreign government is Israel because we have been somehow cowed into thinking that’s naughty. There is nothing wrong with saying that. There is nothing hateful about saying that. There’s nothing antisemitic about saying that. There’s nothing even anti-Israel about saying that.”

Carlson claimed that accusations of antisemitism for those asking questions about potential Epstein-Israel connections inspired broad feelings of resentment.

“And you have the right to expect your government will not act against your interests, and you have a right to demand that foreign governments not be allowed to act against your interests. That’s not creepy. It shouldn’t be forbidden,” Carlson said. “And yet all of us have trained ourselves to believe that you can’t say that somehow. That that’s like too naughty and forbidden. And the effect of making that off-limits has been to create a lot of resentment and I’ll say it, hate online, where people feel like they can’t just say, ‘What the hell is this? You have the former Israeli prime minister living in your house? You have all this contact with a foreign government. Were you working on behalf of them? Were you running a blackmail operation on behalf of a foreign government?’”

Carlson asserted broad support for his conspiracy theory, saying, “By the way, every single person in Washington, DC thinks that. I’ve never met anyone who doesn’t think that. I don’t know any of them that hate Israel. But no one feels they can say that. Why? And I think the longer we play along with it, the more subterranean and creepy and hateful the conversation becomes. So, I think it’s better just to say it right out loud.”

Megyn Kelly, also a former Fox News anchor-turned-podcaster like Carlson, defended his position and offered profanity for those who would question her pro-Israel bona fides.

“Tucker’s saying what his opinion is, which is not outside of the mainstream at all, that he thinks Epstein worked for Mossad or was it was somehow an asset to them,” Kelly said. “Even if you’re in my position, you get lunatics out there. Who accuse you of being like antisemitic because you are exploring this theory, which is such utter bulls–t. And honestly, like I will just say this for the record, if you think that those kinds of smears are going to stop me from reporting, you haven’t been paying attention to my career at all. If anything, when you accuse me of s–t like that, I will double, triple and quadruple down. It tells me that I’m onto something. So nice try, but you’ve chosen the wrong person.”

Kelly added, “I’ve been a defender of Israel, so people who say I’m not can f–k off. They don’t know me at all. I’m allowed to figure out what Jeffrey Epstein’s actual connections were. And if that leads me to our government or Israel’s, too bad!”

Earlier this month, actor John Cusack had also explored speculations of potential Mossad-Epstein connections when he shared a meme linking the deceased sex offender to the Mossad through pointing to accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell’s father Robert Maxwell. He deleted the post two hours later.

On Wednesday, during an oval office meeting with Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the prime minister and crown prince of Bahrain, US President Donald Trump condemned Republicans who continued to ask questions about Epstein.

“Some stupid Republicans and foolish Republicans fall into the net, and so they try and do the Democrats’ work,” Trump said. “I call it the Epstein hoax. Takes a lot of time and effort. Instead of talking about the great achievements we’ve had … they’re wasting their time with a guy who obviously had some very serious problems, who died three, four years ago. I’d rather talk about the success we have with the economy.”

In a Wednesday morning Truth Social post, Trump wrote that he no longer wanted the support of Republicans concerned about the Epstein case.

“Their [Democrats] new SCAM is what we will forever call the Jeffrey Epstein Hoax, and my PAST supporters have bought into this ‘bulls–t,’ hook, line, and sinker. They haven’t learned their lesson, and probably never will, even after being conned by the Lunatic Left for 8 long years. I have had more success in 6 months than perhaps any President in our Country’s history, and all these people want to talk about, with strong prodding by the Fake News and the success starved Dems, is the Jeffrey Epstein Hoax,” Trump wrote. “Let these weaklings continue forward and do the Democrats work, don’t even think about talking of our incredible and unprecedented success, because I don’t want their support anymore!”

Dershowitz told to The Telegraph that Trump had chosen to protect individuals named in the files.

“I know there are names. There are people’s names that are being suppressed, and I know that there are still documents,” Dershowitz said. “My position is I want everything revealed. I want everything out there.”

The post Dershowitz Shoots Down Epstein-Mossad Conspiracy Theories: ‘No Intel Agency Would Really Trust Him’ first appeared on Algemeiner.com.