Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Monday criticised the continuing violence in Gaza

Zohran Mamdani 1:39

AIPAC and political influenceGaza casualties and ceasefirePalestinian deathsDark money in US politicsPolitical accountability

Size Color BG

Language

In this statement, Congressman Zohran Mamdani responds to criticism from members of the Jewish community, including Democratic Congressman Josh Gottheimer, over language used at a rally describing AIPAC as 'monsters' who move dark money—language some say invokes anti-Semitic tropes. Mamdani reframes the criticism by centering the context of daily Palestinian deaths: he notes that more than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli military since the ceasefire began, citing the case of Al Jazeera journalist Ahmed Wishah, killed in an Israeli strike. He characterizes AIPAC as an organization that has been supportive of this status quo and has actively opposed efforts to deliver safety to Palestinians and others in the region. Mamdani details AIPAC's role in defending the status quo through direct campaign contributions and dark money—funds filtered through shell organizations to obscure donor identities until after elections. He argues that when examining how death and destruction occurs overseas, it is necessary to name and hold accountable those who enable it through their political and financial influence.

Key Points

Congressman Zohran Mamdani defends his criticism of AIPAC's language and policy influence, contextualizing his rhetoric within the ongoing killing of Palestinians in Gaza, where over 1,000 have died since the ceasefire, and arguing that AIPAC's financial and political support enables the status quo.

Summary

In this statement, Congressman Zohran Mamdani responds to criticism from members of the Jewish community, including Democratic Congressman Josh Gottheimer, over language used at a rally describing AIPAC as 'monsters' who move dark money—language some say invokes anti-Semitic tropes. Mamdani reframes the criticism by centering the context of daily Palestinian deaths: he notes that more than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli military since the ceasefire began, citing the case of Al Jazeera journalist Ahmed Wishah, killed in an Israeli strike. He characterizes AIPAC as an organization that has been supportive of this status quo and has actively opposed efforts to deliver safety to Palestinians and others in the region. Mamdani details AIPAC's role in defending the status quo through direct campaign contributions and dark money—funds filtered through shell organizations to obscure donor identities until after elections. He argues that when examining how death and destruction occurs overseas, it is necessary to name and hold accountable those who enable it through their political and financial influence.

Key takeaways

More than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli military since the ceasefire began, with children being killed daily.
Al Jazeera journalist Ahmed Wishah was killed in an Israeli strike on a Saturday, exemplifying the ongoing casualties.
AIPAC defends the status quo through direct campaign contributions visible in races such as New York 13.
AIPAC uses dark money mechanisms—filtering funds through shell organizations—to obscure the source of political contributions until after elections.
Mamdani argues that criticism of AIPAC's political influence must be understood in the context of Palestinian casualties and the organization's opposition to efforts to deliver safety in Palestine and the wider region.
Mamdani characterizes the current status quo as immoral and argues that naming those who enable death and destruction overseas is necessary for accountability.

Full article

Response to Criticism Over Language on AIPAC

Some members of the Jewish community, including Democratic Congressman Josh Gottheimer, were alarmed by the language used at a rally the previous week, where AIPAC was called "monsters" who move dark money. These are phrases that invoke old anti-Semitic tropes and conspiracy theories. When asked what he would say to those concerned that such language is dangerous, Zohran Mamdani responded by reframing the context of the criticism.

The Gaza Casualty Count and the Status Quo

Mamdani stated he wanted to be very clear about the status quo in which the criticism arose: children are being killed on a daily basis. More than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli military since the so-called ceasefire. He cited the specific case of Al Jazeera journalist Ahmed Wishah, who was killed the previous Saturday by an Israeli strike. Against this backdrop, Mamdani argued that his criticism of AIPAC must be understood as a response to an organization that has been supportive of this status quo and has fought any attempt to actually deliver safety to people, not just in Palestine but throughout much of the region.

AIPAC's Role in Defending the Status Quo

Mamdani characterized the status quo as one of immorality, which he said he would not accept. He explained that when it comes to the way AIPAC defends the status quo, it often does so through direct contributions, such as those being seen in New York 13. He also noted that AIPAC supports the status quo through dark money—by filtering money that would have previously been directly from AIPAC through other shell organizations whose contributors' identities are only made clear after an election. Mamdani concluded by arguing that when asking how such death and destruction happens overseas, it is important to name those who allow it to take place.

Topics#AIPAC and political influence#Gaza casualties and ceasefire#Palestinian deaths#Dark money in US politics#Political accountability#Israel-Palestine conflict#Campaign finance and lobbying

Transcript

Click any row to jump to that moment in the video.

0:00 Some members of the Jewish community, including Democratic Congressman Josh Gottheimer, were alarmed by the language he used at the rally last week, calling APAC "monsters" who move dark money.

0:11 These are phrases that invoke old anti-Semitic tropes and conspiracy theories.

0:16 What do you say to those who are concerned that the language you used is dangerous?

0:21 Now, I want to be very clear: we're talking about a status quo where children are being killed on a daily basis.

0:30 More than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli military since the so-called ceasefire.

0:35 Even an Al Jazeera journalist, Ahmed Wishah, was killed this past Saturday by an Israeli strike.

0:42 And when I am speaking about APAC, I'm speaking about an organization that has been supportive of the status quo, that has fought any attempt to actually deliver safety to people, not just in Palestine but, frankly, through much of the region.

0:58 And it is a status quo for immorality; it is one that I will not accept.

1:02 And when it comes to the way in which they defend the status quo, oftentimes they defend it through direct contributions, as we are seeing right now in New York 13.

1:13 Oftentimes they also support the status quo through dark money, by filtering money that would have previously been directly from APAC, now through other shell organizations whose identities of their contributors are only made clear after an election.

1:31 And I think that it is important that when we ask ourselves how such death and destruction is happening overseas, we also name those who allow it to take place.

© MinbarLive · Privacy · Terms · support@minbarlive.com