North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein is speaking out against the leader of the state Democratic Party’s Muslim Caucus, Elyas Mohammed, who recently described Zionists as “modern day Nazis” and as a “threat to humanity,” among other incendiary social media posts drawing criticism from the local Jewish community.

“Antisemitic comments and conspiracy theories have no place anywhere, including in the North Carolina Democratic Party,” the governor said in a statement shared exclusively with Jewish Insider. “We must fight against antisemitism and all other forms of hate whenever and wherever we see them. We live in difficult times in our nation. Now is the time to come together and deliver results that improve the lives of all North Carolinians.”

Stein, a Jewish Democrat, had faced mounting pressure from Jewish leaders across the state to condemn the posts, which were first reported by The Algemeiner last week. Mohammed, who has frequently railed against Israel and Zionists on his Facebook page, has also shared a post arguing that Israeli civilians captured by Hamas during the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks were not hostages but “prisoners of war” because the invasion occurred in an “occupied zone.”

On Sunday, the leaders of several prominent Jewish groups in North Carolina distributed a joint letter to Stein and other Democratic officials and lawmakers that raised concerns over Mohammed’s “dangerous antisemitic rhetoric” and exhorted them to publicly condemn his recent statements.

“This is not a partisan appeal,” the Jewish leaders, including CEOs from three local federations in the state, said in the letter. “It is a civic and moral one. Jewish communities across our state must know, without ambiguity, that elected officials and party leaders reject rhetoric that vilifies them through historical distortion and collective accusation.”

In a statement to JI on Tuesday, former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat running for Senate, also condemned Mohammed’s comments.  

“These reprehensible posts were an unacceptable expression of antisemitism and I condemn them in the strongest of terms,” Cooper said. “Antisemitism continues to rise across the country and it’s on all of us to root it out in all of its forms. I’ve fought against antisemitism and hate throughout my career and would continue working to keep all North Carolinians safe as U.S. Senator.” 

Mohammed did not respond to a request for comment. 

North Carolina’s Democratic Party has been a prominent site of internal divisions over Israel that have played out in heated platform fights. Last year, for instance, the party’s executive committee stirred controversy after passing a series of resolutions that called for an arms embargo on Israel as well as “the immediate release of Palestinian hostages taken by Israel,” among other things.

Republicans have seized on such measures in the key battleground state, where Cooper is now seeking to replace outgoing Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) in a competitive race that could help tip the balance of power in the upper chamber.

North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein criticized the resolutions passed by the state’s Democratic Party last month targeting Israel, urging party leaders on Monday to instead prioritize efforts that tackle the problems “we’re facing here in North Carolina.”

One of the adopted resolutions calls for an arms embargo on Israel and accuses the Jewish state of apartheid and genocide, while another draws an equivalence between Hamas and Israel, claiming that both have committed “terrorism” and taken “hostages.” Another resolution calls on the U.S. to exert influence to remove certain Israeli officials from power. 

Stein, a Democrat and the state’s first Jewish governor, told Jewish Insider in a statement on Monday that he was not in support of the measures, all of which were approved by the North Carolina Democratic Party’s State Executive Committee in late June. 

“I disagree with the party’s anti-Israel resolutions and believe that our state party should focus on issues we’re facing here in North Carolina like the high cost of living, harmful cuts to people’s health care, and rising levels of antisemitism, Islamophobia, and other forms of hate. What’s happening in Gaza is devastating. Israel must allow in food and humanitarian supplies; Hamas must free the hostages; and they must work to achieve a just and lasting peace,” Stein told JI. 

The resolutions have faced pushback from other Jewish leaders in the Tar Heel State, including former Rep. Kathy Manning (D-NC), who now chairs the board of Democratic Majority for Israel, and former Gov. Roy Cooper, who announced his bid on Monday for retiring Sen. Thom Tillis’ (R-NC) Senate seat. 

Cooper similarly called for Israel to ensure enough humanitarian assistance is allowed into Gaza to support Palestinians on the ground in his statement on the measures, which was provided to JI on Monday. 

“I don’t agree with the party resolution, and Israel is an important ally. Israel needs to take seriously the job of getting humanitarian aid into Gaza right now. The hostages must be returned and I continue to pray for a swift end to this war and a meaningful peace in the region,” Cooper told JI. 

The resolutions have also highlighted tensions between Jewish Democrats in the state and the NCDP, which voted against recognizing the NCDP Jewish Caucus in 2023 and has been beset by intra-party fights over Israel in its state policy platform. 

The NCDP Jewish Caucus said in a statement at the time that it had been trying to work “in good faith with party leaders to promote a balanced, inclusive approach to complex international issues” but that “those efforts have been met with resistance throughout the party’s resolutions process.”