Zohran Mamdani stands among members of the Democratic Socialists of America at a New York City rally
Zohran Mamdani marches with members of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) in New York City. Photo: DSA's X account.

Democratic Socialists of America Denounce Gaza Ceasefire, Reaffirm Support for ‘Palestinian Resistance’

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The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), aligned with New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, have condemned the Gaza ceasefire as insufficient and “conditional.”

In a statement issued on Monday titled “Until Palestinian Liberation,” the far-left group accused Israel of ongoing “assault,” “theft,” and “occupation.”

The DSA claimed the agreement would not end Israel’s actions against Palestinians. While it “welcomes the relief” in Gaza, the group insisted that “past ceasefires only slowed the carnage.” It added that Israel had continued military operations “with impunity,” showing no interest in protecting “Palestinian life or self-determination.”

This framing once again cast Israel as the aggressor, ignoring Hamas’s terror campaign and the hostage releases that followed the deal.

Backing the Thawabit and “Right to Resist”

The DSA reaffirmed its support for the Thawabit — core Palestinian national principles. It said these include “the right of all refugees to return” and “the end of Israel’s colonization and occupation of all Arab lands.” The group also asserted that Palestinians have the “right to resist occupation.”

Its statement accused Israel of “genocide,” “apartheid,” “fascism,” and “imperial aggression.” It ended with a promise: “the struggle for liberation continues.”

Crucially, the message did not mention Hamas or the October 7th massacre in which 1,200 people were brutally massacred more than 250 taken hostage. Nor did it acknowledge the Israeli hostages freed under the ceasefire agreement. These omissions reveal how the DSA selectively frames the conflict to justify its ideology.

Mamdani’s Longstanding Ties to the DSA

Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee for New York City mayor, has deep roots in the DSA. He previously served in the organization’s state delegation and continues to receive strong backing from its New York City chapter.

Although Mamdani insists his “platform is not the same as the national DSA,” his rhetoric often mirrors its anti-Israel stance. Both he and the DSA have advanced campaigns centered on delegitimizing Israel and promoting the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement.

Both Mamdani and the DSA refuse to condemn Hamas’s atrocities, yet routinely accuse Israel of committing “genocide.” In doing so, they weaponize Holocaust terminology against the Jewish state — turning history’s most horrific crime against the Jewish people into a political bludgeon to delegitimize their right to self-defense and existence.

Such accusations invert reality. Israel, a nation founded in the aftermath of genocide, is now falsely cast as its perpetrator. This grotesque distortion desecrates Holocaust memory, trivializes Jewish suffering, and fuels global antisemitism. It spreads far beyond U.S. campuses and progressive circles, seeping into media, politics, and protest movements worldwide — where the language of “genocide” has become a rallying cry for those who seek Israel’s destruction.

This rhetoric also directly violates the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Working Definition of Antisemitism, which recognizes the comparison of Israel to Nazi Germany as antisemitic.

Mamdani has vowed to abolish that definition if elected — an alarming promise that would remove one of the most essential tools for identifying and combating antisemitism worldwide.

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