Avila Chevalier Defends Oct. 8 Rally After Hamas Massacre

Darializa Avila Chevalier, the Democratic nominee in New York's 13th Congressional District, defended attending an Oct. 8, 2023 pro-Palestinian rally held one day after Hamas murdered nearly 1,200 Israelis. In a Friday interview, she said targeting civilians is wrong but argued that international law protects a right to resist, and said U.S. tax dollars fund what she called the Israeli war machine. She also voiced support for a one-state outcome and described Zionism as an ideology that creates hierarchy. The remarks keep October 7 memory, Hamas's massacre, U.S. aid to Israel and Jewish self-determination inside New York's congressional fight.