Stand-up comedian Dave Chappelle drew cheers from his audience in Abu Dhabi by reportedly calling the Israeli war on Hamas terrorists in Gaza a “genocide.”
The capital of the federation of seven sheikdoms that make up the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on the Arabian Peninsula delivered the audience that cheered on Chappelle’s observations.
AP reports the full crowd at Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Arena cheered as DJ Trauma, who accompanied Chappelle on the trip, played the song “My Blood is Palestinian” by the Palestinian singer Mohammed Assaf.
About halfway through in a wide-ranging comedy set Chappelle, a Muslim, initially said he had been told by his friends either to discuss the war or not.
From the audience, a woman screamed: “Free Palestine!” The crowd cheered, according to the outlet.
Chappelle then referred to the war as a “genocide” and said that making Jews safer in America amid rising cases of antisemitism would make them realize they don’t need Israel as an ultimate protector, the AP report detailed.