Bass and Raman split on Gaza and the term genocide during Jewish Federation forum

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Set us as preferred The candidates for Los Angeles mayor gave opposing takes on the war in Gaza on Tuesday night, with Councilmember Nithya Raman saying Israel has committed genocide and Mayor Karen Bass asserting the term is inappropriate.Appearing back to back at the Skirball Cultural Center, Bass and Raman both said they would fight to keep L.A.’s Jewish residents safe.

But Raman faced a spate of questions about her sit-down interview with leftist Twitch streamer Hasan Piker, a vehement critic of Israel, and her support from Democratic Socialists of America, which has called for the boycott of and divestment from Israel over its treatment of Palestinians.Moderator Alex Cohen, seated next to Raman onstage, asked the council member to explain her decision to portray Israel’s actions as genocide, calling it a “highly inflammatory term.”Raman said she turned to international experts — including some Israeli experts — to make her decision.“That is what guided me to using that term in describing what’s happening in Gaza,” she said.

“I used it because I felt compelled to speak out about issues that we saw, and images that are coming, the targeting of hospitals, the deaths of children.”The two candidates gave their remarks during a forum hosted by Jewish Federation Los Angeles and other groups, which focused on issues important to Jewish Angelenos.Once Bass took the stage, Cohen posed the Gaza question a second time, asking whether the mayor views the term genocide as appropriate.“When I think of foreign affairs, especially conflicts, my focus is on how they impact the city of L.A.— and no, I don’t,” Bass responded.Bass said the schools she attended growing up had many Jewish students whose parents or grandparents were Holocaust survivors.“My job is to keep Angelenos safe, and I think there is a l...