Why "Iran-Backed Houthis" But Not "US-Backed IDF": Zohran Mamdani

Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic candidate for mayor of New York City, has hit out at UK's public broadcaster BBC for never referring to Israel Prime Minister as an "indicted-war-criminal" or making references like "US-backed Israel Defence Forces (IDF)" during its coverage of the ongoing Israel-Gaza war.

The broadcaster instead, Mr Mamdani pointed out, always provides context like "Iran-backed Houthis" and "Hamas-run hospital". 

In a post on X on Saturday, Mr Mamdani said: "Why does the BBC always include context like 'Iran-backed Houthis' and 'Hamas-run hospital' but never 'US-backed IDF' or 'indicted-war-criminal Benjamin Netanyahu'?"

Why does the BBC always include context like "Iran-backed Houthis" and "Hamas-run hospital" but never
"US-backed IDF" or "indicted-war-criminal Benjamin Netanyahu"?

— Zohran Mamdani (@zohranmamdani) July 19, 2025

Mr Mamdani is an outspoken critic of Israel. He has called Israel's military actions in Gaza "genocide" and sought to cut city ties with firms operating in Israeli settlements.

While he supports Israel's right to exist and condemns violence against civilians on all sides, he has repeatedly criticised the country's ongoing military assault in Gaza, particularly following the October 7 Hamas attacks.

In an interview with Zeteo's Mehdi Hasan, he said he would arrest Mr Netanyahu under international law if he visited New York City, citing the International Criminal Court (ICC)'s arrest warrant.

In November last year, the ICC issued an arrest warrant against Mr Netanyahu on charges of committing war crimes during the conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon, where Israel is at war with Hamas and Hezbollah, respectively.

Several Democratic voters, including Jews, have grown dismayed by Israel's conduct in the war and are deeply critical of Mr Netanyahu. That is especially true among younger, more progressive voters, many of whom have rejected the once-broadly accepted notion that anti-Israel sentiment is inherently antisemitic.

Mr Mamdani has repeatedly pledged to fight antisemitism, including during an appearance on "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert," where he was grilled on his stance. He was joined on the show by city comptroller and fellow candidate Brad Lander, the city's highest-ranking Jewish official, who had cross-endorsed him. He has also said he would increase funding for anti-hate crime programming by 800%.

US President Donald Trump, who is a staunch supporter of Israel, recently labelled Mr Mandani a "Communist lunatic" and vowed to save New York City from him

"As President of the United States, I'm not going to let this Communist Lunatic destroy New York. Rest assured, I hold all the levers, and have all the cards. I'll save New York City, and make it "Hot" and "Great" again, just like I did with the Good Ol' USA!," he said in a post on his social media platform Truth Social.