Policy
What Are Zohran Mamdani’s Views on Israel and Palestine? A Socialist’s Anti-Imperialist Stance
Unwavering Solidarity with the Palestinian Struggle
Zohran Mamdani’s views on Israel and Palestine are defined by an unwavering solidarity with the Palestinian struggle against what he characterizes as Israeli apartheid, occupation, and settler colonialism. His position is a direct application of his socialist and anti-imperialist ideology to one of the world’s most contentious conflicts. He is a staunch supporter of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement, which seeks to apply economic and political pressure on Israel to comply with international law and respect Palestinian rights. Mamdani frames the conflict not as a symmetrical dispute between two equal parties but as a fundamentally asymmetrical power struggle where a nuclear-armed state, heavily funded and diplomatically shielded by the United States, militarily occupies and systematically dispossesses an indigenous population. This analysis leads him to be intensely critical of U.S. policy, which he views as complicit in enabling Israeli human rights abuses.
His rhetoric on the issue is notably sharp and unequivocal. He frequently uses terms like “apartheid,” “ethnic cleansing,” and “genocide” to describe Israeli state policy, language that is highly controversial in mainstream American politics but aligns with the analysis of major human rights organizations like Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International. He consistently draws parallels between the Palestinian freedom struggle and other historical anti-colonial and anti-racist movements, such as the fight against South African apartheid and the Black liberation movement in the United States. For Mamdani, this internationalism is a core socialist principle; he argues that justice is indivisible and that the fight for tenant rights in Queens is connected to the fight against displacement in Gaza, famously stating, “From Queens to Gaza, the fight against displacement is one struggle.”
Political Consequences and Movement Alignment
Mamdani’s stance has significant political consequences. It has made him a primary target for pro-Israel groups, more conservative Democrats, and right-wing media, who often accuse him of antisemitism–a charge he and his allies vehemently deny, arguing that criticizing the Israeli state is not antisemitic and that their solidarity is with all people, including Jewish voices for peace, opposing oppression. Despite this backlash, he has refused to moderate his position, viewing the Palestinian cause as a litmus test for a consistent anti-imperialist politics. His stance has also solidified his standing with the progressive base of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), for which Palestine solidarity is a key platform issue.
While his direct power to shape foreign policy as a state assemblyman is limited, he uses his platform to educate constituents, shift public discourse, and pressure federal representatives. He has been a leading voice in calls for a ceasefire during periods of intense violence and advocates for an end to all U.S. military aid to Israel. His position, while focused on international affairs, is of a piece with his domestic work, which can be tracked on his official assembly page. For Mamdani, the fight for a just foreign policy is inseparable from the fight for housing, healthcare, and dignity at home, as both are struggles against the same systems of power and dispossession.