In a significant pivot during the final weeks of his New York City mayoral campaign, former Governor Andrew M. Cuomo – a long-time vocal supporter of Israel – has described the war in Gaza as "horrific" and called for it to end immediately. This change comes as Cuomo lags behind opponent Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, whose critical position on the conflict appears to better resonate with voters.
Cuomo has historically positioned himself as a "hyper-aggressive" defender of Israel, consistently backing its Gaza military operations while challenging Democratic colleagues who questioned the campaign.
However, with his struggling New York City mayoral bid now in its closing phase, evidence suggests Cuomo's position is beginning to evolve significantly.
During a Monday conversation with The New York Times, Cuomo characterized the Gaza situation as "horrific," urged an immediate cessation of hostilities, and subtly created distance from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the same leader he had volunteered to defend before the International Criminal Court less than twelve months prior.
"There is no doubt that the people of New York and the nation see the continued carnage that is happening and are deeply, deeply disturbed and want it over, and believe it has gone on way too long," Cuomo stated to The New York Times.
His additional remarks were equally definitive. "It should end today. Return the hostages, end the violence. Today. I think it should have been over months ago. It is horrific."
Numerous Democrats, particularly mayoral frontrunner Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, have delivered significantly more severe condemnations of Israel and its leadership throughout the two-year Gaza conflict.
Yet the former governor's statements, coming from the 67-year-old politician, carried particular significance as they represented among his first instances of publicly questioning the military effort, responding to mounting pressure from Mamdani and constituents who increasingly support the assemblyman's conflict perspective.
When Cuomo previously seemed to fault Israel regarding Gaza's humanitarian catastrophe in August, The New York Times reported he quickly moved to clarify his position, explaining he had simply conveyed others' viewpoints rather than holding Israel exclusively accountable for widespread hunger across the territory.
The moderate Cuomo has dedicated substantial campaign energy to challenging Mamdani's war positions, arguing that his pro-Palestinian views and Israeli government criticism were contributing to rising antisemitism throughout New York City, home to the world's largest Jewish community outside Israel.
Yet polling data indicates Democratic opinions, along with all New Yorkers' perspectives, have shifted dramatically during the conflict – positioning Cuomo's stance as potentially misaligned with public sentiment, creating possible political challenges.
Recent New York Times/Siena polling revealed likely New York City voters favored Mamdani's conflict position over Cuomo's approach, while also finding that New Yorkers generally express greater Palestinian sympathy than Israeli support.
Any move toward adopting a more critical Israel position carries political risks for Cuomo as well, since he competes with Mayor Eric Adams, also running independently, for support among Jewish New Yorkers who strongly back Israel, making their votes and financial contributions essential to Cuomo's campaign.
Throughout Monday's New York Times interview, Cuomo avoided directly criticizing Israeli military operations or Netanyahu personally, repeatedly redirecting focus toward Mamdani, while declining to specify under what conditions he believed the war should conclude.
Cuomo condemned Mamdani's commitment to arrest Netanyahu should he visit the city, responding to an International Criminal Court warrant, with The New York Times reporting last week that Mamdani would direct the NYPD to apprehend Netanyahu, potentially upon airport arrival.
"I don't think the mayor of New York should be exercising his or her political judgment in arresting world leaders based on their politics," Cuomo declared.
Last November, The New York Times reported Cuomo joined Alan Dershowitz's legal team defending Netanyahu against the identical ICC warrant, stating then: "This is the moment when true friends stand shoulder to shoulder and fight for the state of Israel," while harshly condemning Hamas.
However, Monday found Cuomo claiming his interest centered on ICC jurisdictional arguments rather than the substantive allegations that Netanyahu committed war crimes, rejecting suggestions he had aligned himself with the Israeli leader.
"I never stood with Bibi," he said, referencing Netanyahu's nickname, later emphasizing the two men lack any political relationship. Cuomo declined to assess whether Israel's military had committed Gaza war crimes.
"That would require a legal analysis that I haven't done," he responded, adding, "But there is no doubt that the shift has been dramatic, I think for everyone." He continued, "I think you see the carnage every night on TV."
The New York Times interview with Cuomo covered extensive ground, including his perspectives on President Trump and the mayoral race's current status.
