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'Do you think Israel has a right to exist?': NYC mayoral debate question sparks backlash

People questioned why Israel was relevant to the New York City mayor's race, saying candidate Zohran Mamdani was a victim of Islamophobia
Left to right: Democratic mayoral candidates Andrew Cuomo, Whitney Tilson, Zohran Mamdani and Michael Blake during a Democratic mayoral primary debate in New York City, on 4 June 2025 (Yuki Iwamura/AFP)
By Maysa Mustafa
Published date: 5 June 2025 22:14 BST | Last update: 1 week 2 days ago

People on social media were enraged after moderators at New York City’s first mayoral primary debate singled out candidate Zohran Mamdani with pointed questions about Israel, widely seen as an attempt to undermine his support for Palestinian rights.

On Wednesday night, nine Democratic candidates went head to head at the first debate of the NYC mayoral primary at NBC’s 30 Rockefeller Center studios, discussing a range of topics related to the city like policing, housing and public transportation. 

The fight between the Trump administration and American universities, including Manhattan's Columbia University, which just lost accreditation for its alleged failure to protect Jewish students, and the multiple deportation cases of international students, was discussed as well. All the candidates agreed that Palestinian student and activist Mahmoud Khalil should be released from detention. 

But the final question veered sharply away from municipal concerns.

Candidates were asked which country they would visit first if elected mayor.

Several, including Andrew Cuomo and Whitney Tilson, named Israel, with Tilson noting it would be his fourth visit. Mamdani said he would stay in town to focus on the city.

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A moderator jumped in to ask whether Mamdani would ever visit Israel, to which he said he is concerned with Jewish New Yorkers' worries and would meet them wherever they are in the city. 

This was followed up with a question that many online found off-topic - Does Mamdani think Israel has a right to exist? 

Mamdani said that he believes Israel “has a right to exist as a state with equal rights”.  

This brought upon criticism from both Cuomo and the moderators, who were angered by Mamdani’s choice not to say that it should exist "as a Jewish state". 

New Yorkers and observers alike took to social media in frustration, saying that the moderators’ inclusion of the question was to apply pressure on Mamdani’s stance on Israel, which many believe was “Islamophobic” and “racist”. 

“This question was so blatantly directed at Zohran, it's hilarious,” one social media user said. "It was even funnier when they continued to press him by asking him if he supported Israel's right to exist as a state. It was so sinuous and deceitful, you can't help but laugh.”

“What a disgusting and Islamophobic line of questioning by @NBCNewYork to Zohran just now,” one social media user posted on X. “After he was the only candidate to say he would prioritize serving New Yorkers over traveling abroad, they had the gall to demand he and he alone answer questions about Israel. Sick stuff.”

In addition to finding the inclusion of the question, as well as the concept of a mayor of an American city making foreign trips to be unnecessary, many focused their criticism on the candidates’ unapologetic support for Israel despite its ongoing war on Gaza. 

“How in the fuck is this not disqualifying?” One social media user wrote. “You want to represent a city, state, or country but you openly make another place your first priority?” 

“Why the fuck should a city mayor visit Israel on a foreign trip?" Another social media user posted. "Why Israel first when it's a country of 9.5 million people? If you're the mayor of New York and need to prioritise your local economy, go to China, Japan, Europe. Or....just stay in New York lmao."

Many began to make fun of the moderator’s question to Mamdani on whether Israel has a right to exist, replacing it with random locations, in an attempt to convey that it was irrelevant to the debate.   

“Mr Mamdani, will you visit the lost city of Atlantis as mayor? Do you believe the lost city of Atlantis has the right to exist?” One social media user joked. 

Another posted: “I believe in Margaritaville’s right to exist and I pledge to visit Margaritaville this weekend.”

The morning after the debate, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) officially endorsed Mamdani - an announcement many interpreted as politically timed. AOC has long been criticised by activists for not taking a firmer stance against US support for Israel during its ongoing war on Gaza.

Some viewed the endorsement as proof that Mamdani’s repeated affirmations of Israel’s right to exist had cost him political credibility among more hardline supporters of the Palestinian movement.

Others argued that AOC was being strategic about the timing of the endorsement. 

"AOC waiting to endorse Zohran Mamdani until the morning after Cuomo had a very rough and week debate is very smart. Like I’ve been saying endorsements are about timing and waiting until now was very politically savvy by AOC," One social media user wrote. 

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