It’s time for New Yorkers to reject Zohran Mamdani’s dangerous ‘genocide’ libel - opinion

The article argues that New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's accusation of genocide against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is a dangerous libel. It contends that the term genocide requires specific intent to destroy a group, which Israel's actions—such as evacuation warnings and humanitarian pauses—contradict. The piece links Mamdani's rhetoric to rising antisemitism, citing a recent stabbing of a visibly Jewish man, and calls on leaders to reject the 'genocide libel.'

The article, an opinion piece by William C. Daroff and Betsy Berns Korn, argues that New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's accusation of genocide against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is a dangerous and false libel. It defines genocide as requiring specific intent to destroy a group, which Israel's actions—such as issuing evacuation warnings and agreeing to humanitarian pauses for polio vaccinations—contradict. The piece criticizes Mamdani for stripping context from the war, which began after Hamas massacred civilians and took hostages. It also notes Mamdani's previous reference to AIPAC as 'monsters' and links his rhetoric to a stabbing of a visibly Jewish man on the Upper West Side less than 48 hours after the video. The authors call on leaders to reject the genocide accusation and avoid rhetoric that normalizes hostility toward Jews.