New York

This word has been used by certain Arabs, Palestinians, etc. in terms of eliminating Israel. But it's not exclusively meant to be just that. In 2000, Intifada was referenced against Israeli dominance in the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem when Ariel Sharon visited to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound. Those residents who weren't Israeli Jews were and still are discriminated against by the Government and others. The Oslo Agreement was not being executed in a way that provided relief. Thus, the protests until 2005.

Another term that's overextended is "Jihad" which loosely means "struggle". It's not meant exclusively as battles and war militarily. It can be an internal struggle to integrate the Qu'ran into one's life day by day, hour by hour.

Back to the OP. I agree that Mamdani's choice of words is unfortunate without further explanation/clarification of what he meant. He can still explain, but I believe he should do it soon.