Sen. Gillibrand: ‘Globalize the intifada’ means ‘destroy Jews’ and ‘end Israel’
The New York senator, addressing Jewish leaders in Brooklyn, pushed back on Zohran Mamdani’s refusal to condemn the ‘globalize the intifada’ slogan as Democrats fracture over Israel
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) on April 09. Photo by Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images
By Jacob Kornbluh September 9, 2025
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Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, New York’s junior senator, on Monday issued a sharp rebuke to Democrats whose rhetoric and slogans on Israel and Palestinian rights, she said, are harmful and fuel antisemitism.
She did not name Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee for New York City mayor, who declined to clearly condemn the “globalize the intifada” slogan at pro-Palestinian protests as incitement to violence against Jews. But for the two dozen Jewish leaders gathered at a roundtable Gillibrand convened in Borough Park, a heavily Orthodox neighborhood in Brooklyn, her remarks were reassuring as a sign she is holding the line against the democratic socialist, who is leading in the polls in the upcoming November election. Gillibrand, like Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, has yet to endorse Mamdani.
“The nature of some of the rhetoric that comes out of various protests globally, various protests on college campuses, is so damaging,” Gillibrand said in a seven-minute monologue when asked to address Jewish concerns over a potential Mamdani mayoralty and perceived waning support for Israel among Democratic politicians. “When they say words like ‘river to the sea,’ when they say words like ‘globalize the intifada,’ it means end Israel. It means destroy Jews.”
“No matter what words they intend to be saying, that is the meaning of these simple phrases,” she continued. “Having suffered through two intifadas, Israelis know how deadly an intifada is. It’s terrorism. It’s not a social movement. It’s terrorism, it’s destruction, it’s death.”
EXCLUSIVE: Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand on ‘Globalize the Intifada’ slogan:
— Jacob N. Kornbluh (@jacobkornbluh) September 8, 2025
“It means end Israel. It means destroy Jews… No matter what words they intend to be saying, that is the meaning of these phrases… It's not a social movement. It's terrorism, it's destruction, it's death.” pic.twitter.com/RuX4TtX0f1
Mamdani, a vocal critic of Israel’s military policy and who is aligned with the pro-Palestinian movement, said he would “discourage” the use of that phrase after hearing from Jewish leaders who experienced the bus bombings during the Second Intifada in the early 2000s. On Sunday, Mamdani told Rev. Al Sharpton, whom New York politicians seek for counsel and support, that his personal views on the slogan have evolved over the course of his mayoral run. But his clarification has done little to appease Jewish voters or Democratic colleagues concerned about his outspoken criticism and distancing from Israel.
Gillibrand had previously accused Mamdani of making “references to global jihad,” a remark for which she later apologized. On Monday, however, she stayed silent when an Orthodox leader pressed her to commit to opposing him.
The New York Democrat said she would work with her colleagues “who sometimes, in my opinion, don’t use the right words or aren’t sensitive to the impact of those words” and give them the context to understand how their statements are received. “Nine times out of 10, they aren’t trying to be antisemitic or even anti-Israel,” Gillibrand explained. “They think they’re just fighting for human rights or fighting for peace. But the words they often choose are very hurtful, harmful, and undermining and creative of antisemitism.”
She added, ”I will sometimes be effective. I will sometimes be ineffective.”
Democratic support for Israel
Gillibrand also spoke about the growing willingness among mainstream Democrats to publicly challenge Israeli policy and a view that there is waning support in her party for the Jewish state.
She claimed that “nine out of 10 Democrats are pro-Israel and want peace in the Middle East,” though recent polls show that Democratic voters are increasingly sympathetic to Palestinians. In July, a record 27 Senate Democrats, a majority of the caucus, supported a pair of resolutions introduced by Sen. Bernie Sanders, the Jewish Vermont independent and longtime critic of U.S. aid to Israel, calling for the blocking of weapons transfers to Israel. Last month, the Democratic National Committee withdrew a resolution reaffirming the party’s support for Israel and a two-state solution to avoid a clash with younger and progressive activists pressing for a tougher, more pro-Palestinian stance.
Gillibrand said that critics are largely driven by frustration with the Israeli right-wing government and animosity towards Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “They don’t know how to articulate political disagreement, and sometimes it comes out against Israel,” she said. “And I try very hard to explain that your intentions are one thing, and that how you received is another, and that’s where we get the disconnect.”
A member of the Armed Services and Intelligence committees, Gillibrand said she understands the critical need for military aid to Israel. In 2023, following a trip to Jerusalem, Gillibrand said she was “optimistic” about the Israeli leader’s commitment to Mideast peace. “My job in the Senate is to make sure that my colleagues understand from a national security perspective that if we value democracy in the Middle East as we value fighting terrorism and reform, we must stand shoulder to shoulder with Israel,” she told the leaders.
