NEW YORK — Former New York governor Andrew Cuomo, a longtime supporter of Israel who is running for New York City mayor, called for an end to the “horrific” war in Gaza on Monday.

“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 told The New York Times.

“It should end today. Return the hostages, end the violence. Today. I think it should have been over months ago. It is horrific,” Cuomo said.

He also condemned the front-runner in the mayoral race, the far-left Israel critic Zohran Mamdani, for his call to arrest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Mamdani doubled down on his vow to arrest Netanyahu this week, despite legal experts saying that, as mayor, he would not have the ability to do so and that such an arrest would be illegal.

“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 said.

Cuomo still distanced himself from Netanyahu in the NYT interview after he volunteered to join the Israeli premier’s defense team to help repel the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant against the prime minister.

Cuomo said that he meant to contest the court’s jurisdiction, not claims about Netanyahu’s complicity in war crimes.

“I never stood with Bibi,” Cuomo said, using Netanyahu’s nickname.

Mamdani has cited the court’s warrant as his grounds for arresting Netanyahu.

Cuomo declined to say if the Israeli military has committed war crimes in Gaza.

Later Monday, at a press event, Cuomo seemed to try and walk back the criticism of Israel expressed in The Times interview.

“I have not shifted my position at all. I am a proud supporter of Israel,” he said. “The situation is horrific. The carnage is horrific. I pray for peace. I pray for an end to the violence. I pray for the hostages to be returned, and Hamas has to be eliminated.”

A Cuomo spokesperson, Rich Azzopardi, posted on X that, when Cuomo said he never stood with Netanyahu, he was referring to political support, and that the two had “never had a political conversation.”

Last month, Cuomo criticized the Gaza war in milder terms.

“Do I support what the Israeli government is doing vis-à-vis Gaza? No. Do I support Israel impeding humanitarian aid? No,” he said.

He later walked back that criticism as well, saying, “I was airing what some people feel. You have some people who feel that Israel is not acting appropriately. That’s their opinion.”

Cuomo’s Monday denunciation of the war marked a brief shift in tone from the former governor. During the primary campaign, he maintained steadfast support for Israel as he aimed to win Jewish voters who were put off by Mamdani’s anti-Israel rhetoric.

Cuomo’s statements are another indication of how the Gaza war has scrambled support for Israel in New York politics and the Democratic Party.

Mamdani caused repeated controversies with his anti-Israel rhetoric during the primary campaign, particularly his defense of the slogan “globalize the intifada.” After coming under heavy pressure, Mamdani said he would “discourage” the use of the phrase.

A poll last week found that, despite the controversies, New York City voters favored Mamdani’s rhetoric on the conflict.

Surveys have consistently shown that Democrats and younger Americans are largely critical of Israel, including in the mostly Democratic New York City. A poll last week found that 44% of registered New York City voters sympathized more with the Palestinians, and 26% more with Israel. Republicans favored Israel, 57% to 12%, while Democrats supported the Palestinians by a margin of 57% to 18%.

Mamdani defeated Cuomo in the mayoral primary earlier this year in a stunning upset for the upstart 33-year-old. As the Democratic party nominee, he is the heavy favorite to win the general election in November. Cuomo is running as an independent.

Mamdani is divisive among Jewish voters. He was the leading candidate among Jews in the four-way race, with around 37 percent support, according to a July poll by the pro-Israel New York Solidarity Network. That figure is similar to his support among the non-Jewish population.

While 60% of Jews were opposed to Mamdani, their support was divided among the other mayoral candidates. Also in the race are Mayor Eric Adams, another pro-Israel moderate, and Republican Curtis Sliwa.

Just over half of the city’s Jews believe Mamdani is antisemitic, and 58% believe the city will be less safe for Jews if Mamdani is elected, the poll found.

On Sunday, New York Governor Kathy Hochul, another pro-Israel moderate, endorsed Mamdani’s candidacy, saying the two had discussed antisemitism.

Hochul is up for reelection next year. Endorsing Mamdani may shore up her support on the left, but opens her up to attacks from the right, including on Jewish issues.

Sara Forman, the head of the New York Solidarity Network, said on Monday, “As we have long appreciated Governor Kathy Hochul’s support for the Jewish community, we disagree with her decision to endorse Zohran Mamdani, who does not share those same values.”

“Governor Hochul noted the need for Mr. Mamdani to work alongside her in the fight to combat antisemitism, and we will continue to wait for Mr. Mamdani’s actions to match his words,” Forman told The Times of Israel.

One of Hochul’s leading challengers in the mayoral race is expected to be New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, a Republican from upstate New York.

Stefanik lashed Hochul after her endorsement of Mamdani, saying in a statement: “It was only a matter of time before the Worst Governor in America [Kathy Hochul] would bend the knee to the Communist Antisemite Zohran Mamdani.”

Antisemitism is a concern for New York leaders because Jews are targeted in hate crimes in New York City far more than any other group. New York City is home to the largest Jewish community in the world outside Israel.

Mamdani has condemned antisemitism, vowed to combat anti-Jewish discrimination and released plans for countering antisemitism and other hate crimes.

He told Bloomberg this week that, if elected, he will stop using the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism. Adams ordered the city to use the IHRA definition earlier this year.

Adams, a moderate who shares a similar base with Cuomo, has held his pro-Israel line during the campaign.

After Cuomo’s comments, Adams posted a photo of himself and Netanyahu on social media.

“As Mayor of New York City, I’ll never forget the warm welcome I received in Israel from [Netanyahu] and the Israeli people,” Adams said. “I look forward to returning that hospitality when the Prime Minister comes to New York for the United Nations General Assembly.”

Adams also met with Jewish leaders and community members in the Orthodox community of Boro Park on Monday.