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Mamdani says Hamas should ‘lay down their arms’ as Israel, Gaza and antisemitism reign in NYC mayoral debate
A day after deflecting questions on Fox News about whether Hamas should “lay down their weapons and leave the leadership in Gaza,” New York City mayoral frontrunner Zohran Mamdani offered an answer.
“Of course I believe that they should lay down their arms,” Mamdani said. “I’m proud to be one of the first elected officials in the state who called for a ceasefire, and calling for a ceasefire means ceasing fire. That means all parties have to cease fire and put down their weapons.”
Mamdani’s comment came as the city’s three main mayoral candidates convened Thursday night for the first general election debate, which focused extensively on Jewish issues including Israel and antisemitism.
Mamdani, a democratic socialist who is the Democratic nominee, faced questions about his views on Israel, Hamas and whether Jewish New Yorkers could count on him to combat antisemitism. As he has throughout the campaign, he sharply criticized Israel, following his response about Hamas to harshly criticizing Israel’s actions in Gaza, both before and after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack.
“The reason that we call for that [ceasefire] is not only for an end of the genocide, but also an unimpeded access of humanitarian aid,” he said. “I, like many New Yorkers, am hopeful that this ceasefire will hold. I’m hopeful that it is durable. I’m hopeful that it’s just.”
He continued, “And for it to be just, we also have to be hopeful that it addresses the conditions that preceded this — conditions like occupation, like the siege and apartheid.”
Unlike the Democratic primary debates, during which Mamdani was an underdog candidate, the Queens state Assembly member was the favorite this time around. His opponents, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa (sans his trademark red beret), repeatedly challenged his ability to represent Jewish New Yorkers.
“Jews don’t trust that you are going to be there for them when they are victims of antisemitic attacks,” Sliwa charged.
“I agree, by the way,” Cuomo chimed in, in a rare moment of unity.
Cuomo, who is polling second and has garnered endorsements from several Jewish groups since Mayor Eric Adams dropped out, said, “There are a lot of Jewish New Yorkers who support me because they think you’re antisemitic.”
Asked if he agreed with those accusations, Cuomo said, “I don’t make those judgements about people — are you a racist? Are you an antisemite?” But Cuomo pointed to Mamdani “not condemning ‘globalize the intifada’” as a reason that some Jewish New Yorkers hold that belief.
Mamdani, who has drawn criticism for declining to condemn the phrase, spoke about his conversations with Jewish New Yorkers that eventually led him to “discourage” its, which he added that he himself does not use.
“It’s in those conversations that I learned that this phrase evokes many painful memories — memories of bus attacks in Haifa, restaurant attacks in Jerusalem,” he said, repeating comments he has made before. “I heard from a rabbi about their roommate who was killed on one of those buses.”
The candidates spoke about Jewish safety amid rising antisemitism.
Sliwa touted his record of protecting Jewish communities with the Guardian Angels during the Crown Heights riots in 1991 and in Williamsburg in 2019 following a series of assaults on Orthodox Jews.
Cuomo attacked Mamdani for what he characterized as his declining to recognize Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state, and called the Democratic nominee a “divisive personality.” (Mamdani countered that he has said “time and time again” that he recognizes Israel’s right to exist, but “would not recognize any state’s right to exist with a system of hierarchy on the basis of race or religion,” pointing to Saudi Arabia as another example.)
Mamdani, meanwhile, said he will “be a mayor who finally addresses” Jewish New Yorkers’ fear of living in the city, “not through the theatrics of politics on this stage, but through action.”
“I’ll do that by ensuring that we have police officers outside synagogues on the High Holy Days,” Mamdani said, before the moderator moved to the next question.
Mamdani and Cuomo spent much of the debate trading barbs, while Sliwa sought to stand out from Cuomo as the best challenger to Mamdani. Sliwa was complimentary of Trump’s peace deal between Israel and Hamas, saying the president “should’ve been applauded.”
“Give credit where credit’s due — he’s brought peace to Gaza,” Sliwa said.
Cuomo countered that he did “applaud President Trump and his administration” for the deal, but positioned himself as the best candidate to take on Trump.
“You’re not going to stand up to Donald Trump,” Cuomo said to Sliwa. He then used a Yiddish term to get his point across to Mamdani: “And you can’t stand up to Donald Trump, who’d knock him right on his tuches.”
One rare point of overlap between Mamdani and Cuomo was that they each spoke positively of police commissioner Jessica Tisch, who is Jewish. Both have indicated openness to having her remain on the job.
“I agree with Commissioner Tisch in that we do not need the National Guard here in New York City,” Mamdani said.
Cuomo, meanwhile, said, “I think Commissioner Tisch is doing a very good job, I would trust her,” when explaining why he, unlike Mamdani, would leave the commissioner on the Civilian Complaint Review Board.
The candidates were each questioned about whether they would boycott any of the city’s many parades. While Cuomo and Sliwa both insisted that they would not boycott any, Mamdani sidestepped the question.
“There are many parades that I would not be attending because I’d be focusing on the work of leading the city,” Mamdani said, though he declined to specify which ones he would miss.
New York City mayors have historically attended the city’s annual Israel parade; Mamdani has not commented about whether he would attend the parade as mayor. His campaign has indicated that he would not seek to prevent the parade, a fear that some pro-Israel New Yorkers have expressed.
Mamdani was also asked about whether he would continue to participate in pro-Palestinian protests, as he did in the months after Oct. 7 while serving in the State Assembly.
“If I’m elected, I’ll be the mayor,” Mamdani responded. “And I’ll be leading the city from City Hall.”
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Hamas Expands European Reach, Posing ‘High Likelihood’ of Terror Attack in Next Six Months, Intel Report Warns
Palestinian Hamas terrorists stand guard at a site as Hamas says it continues to search for the bodies of deceased hostages, in Beit Lahiya in the northern Gaza Strip, Dec. 3, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Stringer
Hamas operatives have pushed far beyond Gaza, embedding themselves across Europe — and now posing a growing threat inside the United Kingdom, where covert arms caches and active attack plots have put intelligence services on high alert, according to a new report.
Even though Hamas has traditionally focused its operations in Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank, the Palestinian terrorist group has been steadily cultivating foreign attack capabilities — a trend highlighted in a new report obtained by The Daily Mirror, which warns of a looming threat of Hamas-led attacks in Europe.
Intelligence assessments indicate that the terrorist group, backed for years by Iran, Qatar, and Turkey, has been gradually expanding its presence in Europe through a network of charities, NGOs, and criminal gangs, with Israeli diplomatic missions, Israel-linked businesses, and Jewish religious sites among its top targets.
The report also notes that the group has not only stockpiled weapons such as AK-47s and ammunition but is increasingly turning to drone warfare, bolstered by backing from Lebanon and Iran and supported by Eastern European crime networks that help it acquire advanced weaponry.
“The Oct. 7, 2023, assault fundamentally altered Israel’s threat perceptions, but also reshaped Hamas’s calculations,” the report says, referring to the Hamas-led invasion of and massacre across southern Israel.
“Following catastrophic damage to its infrastructure in Gaza and significant leadership attrition, the group’s remaining command nodes particularly those in Lebanon began activating contingency plans long under development,” it continues.
“The organization’s leadership now appears more willing to accept the strategic risks of external operations. If Hamas sustains further attrition, external operations may grow in relative importance within the group’s strategy,” the intelligence report adds.
According to the United Kingdom’s domestic counter-intelligence and security agency, MI5, and the Joint Terrorism Analysis Center, the current threat level of a terror attack in the UK is assessed to be “substantial.”
Over the next six months, the report warns, there is a “high likelihood of continued attempts at external operations, particularly in Europe, as Hamas seeks to demonstrate resilience.”
This assessment comes amid multiple intelligence findings showing that Hamas has expanded its terrorist operations beyond the Middle East, leveraging a long-established network of weapons caches, criminal alliances, and covert infrastructure quietly built across Europe over the years.
In October, West Point’s Combating Terrorism Center released a study detailing how Hamas leaders in Lebanon have directed operatives to establish “foreign operator” cells across Europe, collaborating with organized crime networks to acquire weapons and target Jewish communities abroad.
For example, a failed Hamas plot involved an alleged operative in Germany traveling to Lebanon to “receive orders from the Qassam Brigades [Hamas’s military wing] to set up an arms depot for Hamas in Bulgaria,” part of a broader, multi-year effort to cache weapons across Europe.
German authorities foiled the plan, detaining four Hamas members in late 2023 on suspicion of planning attacks.
Earlier this year, the four suspects went on trial in Berlin in what prosecutors described as Germany’s first-ever case against members of the Palestinian terrorist group.
During the investigation, German authorities also found evidence on a defendant’s USB device showing that the Hamas operatives were planning attacks on specific sites in Germany, including the Israeli embassy in Berlin.
Similar weapons depots were established in Denmark, Poland, and other European countries, with Hamas members repeatedly trying to retrieve them to support their operations and plan potential attacks.
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Jerusalem-Based Policy Center Seeks to Forge Inroads With US Lawmakers to Safeguard Israel’s Capital
Thousands of Jews gather for a mass prayer for the hostages in Gaza at the Western Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem, Jan. 10, 2024. Photo: Yaacov Cohen
Amid increasing uncertainty over the future of the US-Israel relationship, a Jerusalem-based organization committed to safeguarding Israel’s capital city has decamped to Washington, DC in an attempt to make inroads with federal lawmakers in the US.
The Jerusalem Center for Applied Policy (JCAP), a research and policy center, aims to help protect and bolster the security, sovereignty, economy, and international standing of “Israel’s indivisible capital” in the face of “existential challenges,” according to its website.
To expand its mission, JCAP has opened a new office in Washington, DC, where some its principals are currently touring to meet with lawmakers on Capitol Hill.
As part of its work, JCAP seeks to mitigate potential threats from terrorist groups and their sponsors and has adopted the goal of spreading awareness about Islamist propaganda campaigns targeting the West, arguing that malevolent entities are trying to undermine the legitimacy of Western democracies and corrode them from within.
Chaim Silverstein, founder and chairman of JCAP, told The Algemeiner in an interview in Washington, DC this week that protecting Jerusalem is critical to preserving the security and existence of Israel from terrorists. He described Jerusalem as “the heart of Israel,” arguing that adversarial entities understand that “if they harm the head” of the Jewish state, “the rest of the body will implode.”
Silverstein added that Jerusalem is particularly vulnerable because it is home to Israel’s largest Arab population, explaining that countries such as Turkey and Iran have been effectively radicalizing Arab citizens of Israel with the hope of turning them against their home and “Islamicizing” Jerusalem.
“Radical Islamic enemies are trying to destroy Jerusalem,” he said, stressing that they want to “liberate it for Islam.”
Thus, according to Silverstein, JCAP “formulates policy initiatives” to protect Jerusalem from looming threats. The organization maintains a “unique approach” to combatting Islamic extremism, he argued, touting its extensive efforts to monitor and track the Muslim Brotherhood’s global Islamist network. JCAP aims to share the organization’s findings and methodologies with US lawmakers, equipping them with the ability to thwart extremism in their own borders, Silverstein said.
JCAP aims to enhance “Jerusalem’s international standing through proactive diplomacy while countering the influence of hostile international agitators,” its website states, adding that the goal is “advancing strategic partnerships and advocacy to reinforce Jerusalem’s role as Israel’s united and sovereign capital.”
In addition to information about terrorist cells, JCAP also wants to spread awareness about the pervasive influence campaign waged by Qatar against Israel and Western countries. According to Silverstein, Qatar has attempted to soften its image through elevating its prominence in sports, entertainment, and academia while simultaneously spreading misinformation regarding Israel’s domestic policies and military campaign in Gaza. Moreover, he argued that this influence campaign aims to spark chaos within the borders of Western countries such as Canada, Australia, and the US.
US Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines warned in 2024 that actors tied to adversarial governments such as Iran have encouraged and provided financial support to rampant protests opposing Israel’s defensive military operations against the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas in Gaza.
Meanwhile, analysts have revealed in recent reports that Qatar, a longtime supporter of Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood’s global network more broadly, has spent tens of billions of dollars to influence US policy making and public opinion in Doha’s favor. At the same time, the country has provided the Hamas-run government in Gaza with an estimated $1.8 billion and allows the terrorist group to host an office in Doha.
JCAP acknowledged that the popularity of Israel has declined precipitously in the US, complicating efforts to forge strong ties with certain American lawmakers. Nonetheless, the organization said it believes that US policymakers will understand that their national security interests are intertwined with Israel’s. The organization suggested that despite the souring reputation of the Jewish state among younger US voters, the American military and defense industry still recognize that Israel is a valuable asset. Moreover, the group claimed that their mission — focusing more on Jerusalem rather than Israel writ large — helps to emphasize the shared Christian-Jewish Biblical heritage of the land rather than politics.
Amid the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, many recent polls have shown a precipitous decline in support of Israel among Democrats and, increasingly, even Republicans, especially younger voters.
Though JCAP claims to stay neutral on domestic US issues, it explicitly identifies as “pro-Trump,” praising US President Donald Trump’s policies toward Israel. The group hopes to form inroads with the Trump administration and Republicans to help guide policies on Israel.
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Irish Three-Time Eurovision Winner Backs Ireland’s Withdrawal From Song Contest Over Israel’s Participation
Irish-Australian singer Johnny Logan sings during a rehearsal for the first semi-final in the supporting program of the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) 2024. Photo: Jens Büttner/dpa via Reuters Connect
Ireland’s three-time Eurovision winner Johnny Logan said he supports the country’s national broadcaster in its decision to pull out of the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest after organizers said Israel will be allowed to participate.
Johnny Logan said he was “proud” of RTÉ’s decision and thinks the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which organizes the competition, should have Israel “removed” from next year’s Eurovision contest, set to take place in May in Vienna, Austria. “I really feel that in this case, RTÉ definitely made the right decision,” he said on RTÉ’s radio news program “This Week.”
“I don’t think that Israel should be allowed to hide under the umbrella of the Eurovision … make it look as though, everything’s OK, business as usual, because it’s not. I think most people in Ireland would agree with that,” Logan added. “I think that the EBU should have made a decision regarding Israel, a decision removing them from the show and taking that decision away from individual countries. But being as it is. I really think that what Ireland, what RTÉ, have done is exactly the right thing to do. I support them 100 percent.”
The EBU ruled last week that Israel can compete in next year’s contest, despite backlash over Israel’s participation because of its military campaign against Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip. Following the EBU’s decision, the national broadcasters of Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland, and Slovenia confirmed their withdrawal from the competition. Logan called on the national broadcasters of other countries to also boycott the 2026 Eurovision because of Israel’s involvement.
“And it’s not about the Israeli people, it’s about the people in charge of Israel, the governments that have been making these decisions,” he added. Logan said he believes Israel being allowed to participate “adds a kind of respectability to the way they’ve behaved.”
Logan noted that the Eurovision Song Contest has turned political in the past, and cited as an example Russia being removed from the competition following its invasion of Ukraine. “They did it with Russia in the Eurovision. They say that the Eurovision is nonpolitical but the reality of it is when it is necessary it becomes political,” Logan said. “The Eurovision has been really good to me, but I do feel very strongly about it.”