Zohran Mamdani Condemns Hamas After View Host Confronts Him on ‘Evasive’ Answer and ‘Inflammatory Statements’
Queens Assemblyman and New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani (D-NY) condemned Hamas while also accusing Israel of “war crimes” after The View’s Sara Haines confronted him on his past evasiveness and “inflammatory” comments.
Mamdani joined the hosts of The View on Wednesday, days after New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) announced he is dropping out of the upcoming race, leaving Mamdani to battle it out with Republican Curtis Sliwa and former New York City Governor Andrew Cuomo (D).
Haines at one point brought up Mamdani’s “inflammatory” comments about Israel and the country’s current war in Gaza. She also noted the self-described Democratic socialist had been “evasive” when asked about condemning Hamas that very week.
“You’ve made inflammatory statements like calling Israel an apartheid state and questioning its right to exist as a Jewish state. Just this week, you were evasive with a reporter about condemning Hamas. Given New York has the largest Jewish population outside of Israel, why should voters who see this as a moral red line trust your clarity and judgment?” Haines asked, later revealing she is one of the voters who disagrees with Mamdani’s Israel position.
Mamdani condemned Hamas while also accusing Israel of answering the war crime of Oct. 7 with their own “war crimes,” citing thousands of civilian deaths in Gaza.
“Of course I condemn Hamas. Of course I have called October 7th what it was, which was a horrific war crime and of course, my belief in a universality and international law is the same set of beliefs that led me to describe what’s happening in Gaza as a genocide because what we see,” the mayoral candidate said.
He added: “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 and many New Yorkers feel deeply and my job, I can’t stop that as the mayor of this city. I can make clear my own values and commitments.”
Haines referred to comments Mamdani made earlier in the week when asked to back Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan to eliminate Hamas.
“I am not going to echo the words of Benjamin Netanyahu,” Mamdani told reporters. “I can, however, share my own words and say them right here, which is that my politics is built on a universality. I can think of no better illustration of that than from the words of the hostage families themselves: Everyone for everyone.”
Check out the full exchange from The View below:
SARA HAINES: Assemblyman, you’re running for mayor of New York and not prime minister of Israel but you’ve made inflammatory statements like calling Israel an apartheid state and questioning its right to exist as a Jewish state. Just this week you were evasive with a reporter about condemning Hamas. Given New York has the largest Jewish population outside of Israel, why should voters who see this as a moral red line trust your clarity and judgment?
ZOHRAN MAMDANI: Well, I really appreciate this question, an opportunity to just clear up I think a number of misconceptions. You know, first and foremost you’re right. I am running to be the mayor of the city and this city will be the focus of my administration ensuring we make it a city everyone can afford and everyone knows that they belong to. And also millions of New Yorkers, myself included, care deeply about what’s happening in Israel and Palestine and so to be very, very clear, of course I condemn Hamas. Of course I have called October 7th what it was which was a horrific war crime and of course my belief in a universality and international law is the same set of beliefs that led me to describe what’s happening in Gaza as a genocide because what we see — 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 and many New Yorkers feel deeply and my job, I can’t stop that as the mayor of this city. I can make clear my own values and commitments and it is a value and commitment to humanity, to safety, to justice for all people that extends to everyone, Israelis, Palestinians and everyone else.
HAINES: And recognizing people do disagree with you. I am one of those people on one of those points.
MAMDANI: Absolutely, and your disagreeing with me doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be in this city and shouldn’t be celebrated and part of the city that I’m trying to lead. And I think that’s the other part of growing up as a New Yorker, learning that disagreement and difference is part of what it means to be here. And I want to be a mayor not just for the people who voted for me, not just for the people who agree with me, but every New Yorker and that means that if a New Yorker disagrees with plea about Israel I’m still fighting for them to make sure they can afford the city, be safe in the city and see the city as their home.
Watch above via ABC.
