New York City Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani ignited the audience of the popular daytime talk show The View on Wednesday, earning a round of applause after he stated he would "describe what is happening in Gaza as a genocide."
Appearing on the ABC program, Mamdani was pressed on his long-standing criticism of Israel by co-host Sara Haines, who noted his past "inflammatory statements, like calling Israel an apartheid state and questioning its right to exist as a Jewish state." Haines, who wore a yellow pin symbolizing the Israeli hostages, questioned the candidate's core beliefs.
"War Crimes Being Answered with War Crimes"
Mamdani used the national platform to reiterate his firm position on the Israel-Hamas conflict and the ongoing war in Gaza. He first condemned the terrorist group and the October 7 massacre.
"Millions of New Yorkers, myself included, care deeply about what’s happening in Israel and Palestine," Mamdani said. "And so to be very, very clear, of course I condemn Hamas. Of course I’ve called October 7 what it was, which is a horrific war crime."
He then escalated his rhetoric, using the controversial term "genocide" to describe the conditions in Gaza, a term vehemently rejected by Israel and its allies. The studio audience responded to the declaration with a warm reception and applause.
"What we see is a war crime being answered with war crimes. And what we see is, every single hour, the Israeli military killing a Palestinian child for close to two years," Mamdani continued. He clarified that while he "can’t stop that as the mayor of this city," he can "make clear my own values, my own commitments."
