For a Fighting Anti-Zionist DSA

For a Fighting Anti-Zionist SA

Ahmed H (New York City), Francesca M (Connecticut), Andrew T (Denver), Ethan E (New York City), Sammi A (New York City), Viv S (Philadelphia), Jordan D (Philadelphia), Claire S (Denver), Nayef A (San Francisco), Ricky S (Houston), Zev C (Tacoma), Martina M (Central New Jersey), Dami O (Metro DC), Abdul O (Connecticut), Syjil A (Delaware)

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Whereas, in line with 2017 DSA National Convention Resolutions #7 and #8, and 2019 Resolution #35, DSA unapologetically stands in solidarity with the Palestinian people; and is committed to the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement;

Whereas, the 2023 Convention passed NPC Recommendation #8 which, as amended, had the National Electoral Committee (NEC) and National Political Committee (NPC) consider the stated positions of candidates on Palestine and BDS in decisions of national endorsement;

Whereas, the “Make DSA an Anti-Zionist Organization in Principle and Praxis” resolution, as amended, was ratified by the 2023-2025 NPC, reaffirming DSA’s commitment to Palestinian liberation and establishing expectations for candidates seeking national DSA endorsement;

Whereas, since March 25th 2025, 54 DSA chapters representing over 30,000 DSA members have passed their own versions of the “Make DSA an Anti-Zionist Organization in Principle and Praxis” resolution, enshrining locally both membership expectations and electoral endorsement conditions of principled anti-Zionism that has provided a necessary, material counter-weight to the Zionist lobby for progressives running for local office;

Whereas, DSA has recognized Zionism as “a racist, imperialist, settler-colonial project that has resulted in the ongoing death, displacement, and dehumanization of Palestinians everywhere,” whose survival is enabled by the financial, military, and diplomatic support of the United States government;

Whereas, since the intensification of the genocide in Palestine in October 2023, DSA members have organized against it using a variety of tactics, including local ceasefire resolutions, the Uncommitted movement, direct protest actions, university encampments, BDS campaigns within the Palestinian solidarity movement (such as No Appetite For Apartheid and Mask off Maersk), and building a national priority campaign targeting Chevron, Israel’s largest natural gas supplier;

Whereas, as repression against the Palestine solidarity movement by the Trump administration, universities, and other aligned institutions escalates, mobilizing our electoral project, our position in the labor movement, and our organizational density in the education sector to build more favorable terrain for organizing and resist state repression is necessary to meet the current moment;

Whereas, since March 2025, the National Labor Commission (NLC) adopted a resolution forming a Labor for an Arms Embargo campaign working group and the IC Palestine Subcommittee adopted a political education proposal for webinars on municipal divestment;

Whereas, carrying out the obligations of pro-Palestine and BDS convention mandates requires clear goals for Palestine solidarity work and a renewed commitment to being productive coalition partners within the wider Palestinian solidarity movement;

Standards and Orientation

Therefore, be it resolved, that DSA shall make organizing in solidarity with the Palestinian cause a priority until Palestine is free, unequivocally affirming our commitment to ‘al-Thawabit’, the principles originally set by the Palestinian National Council in 1977 and repeatedly reaffirmed since, which are the Palestinian people’s right to resistance, the Palestinian right to self-determination, the recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine, and the right of Palestinian refugees to return to their homeland from the river to the sea;

Be it resolved, that DSA shall expand on the expectations, established by the “Make DSA an Anti-Zionist Organization in Principle and Praxis” resolution ratified by the 2023-2025 NPC, that DSA candidates support the BDS movement, refrain from any and all affiliation with the Israeli government or Zionist lobby groups, and pledge to oppose legislation that harms Palestinians and support legislation that supports Palestinian liberation, by affirming that these commitments as detailed in this resolution must hold true for all candidates endorsed by national DSA or a DSA chapter;

Be it resolved, that any candidate questionnaires used to determine national and local endorsements must inquire about the candidateʼs position on BDS and should include further scrutiny on the candidate’s commitment to Palestinian liberation;

Be it resolved, that potential candidates who cannot commit to the aforementioned basic expectations shall be deemed, by the National Electoral Commission as well as any relevant approving bodies at the chapter level, as ineligible for endorsement by DSA or a DSA chapter;

Be it resolved, that, upon receiving fair and ample opportunity for education about the Palestinian struggle for liberation, endorsed candidates who fail to continue to uphold the aforementioned basic expectations after being endorsed and/or taking office, shall have their DSA endorsements revoked locally and/or nationally as applicable;

Be it resolved, that DSA members – regardless of endorsement status – who are credibly shown to

have consistently and publicly opposed BDS and the Palestinian cause (e.g. by denouncing the BDS movement in public interviews; writing public op-eds denouncing the BDS movement; drafting and voting in favor of legislation that suppresses BDS, such as legislation that suppresses speech rights around the right to freely criticize Zionism/Israel and/or the right to boycott; making statements that “Israel has a right to defend itself”; making or endorsing statements or legislation equating anti-Zionism with antisemitism), even after receiving fair and ample opportunity for education about the Palestinian struggle for liberation,
be currently affiliated with the Israeli government or any Zionist lobby group(s) such as, but not limited to, AIPAC, J Street, or Democratic Majority for Israel (DMFI), or
have knowingly provided material aid to Israel (e.g., voted to provide Israel with material aid; gave direct financial donations of any kind to Israel and/or settler NGOs who carry out the mission of Israeli settlement and Palestinian dispossession/displacement, such as the Jewish National Fund, the Israel Land Fund, the Hebron Fund, and Regavim)

shall be considered in substantial disagreement with DSAʼs principles and policies, as per Article 1, Section 3 of the DSA Bylaws, thereby committing an expellable offense as outlined in Article 3, Section 4 of the DSA Constitution, which states that a member credibly shown to have engaged in any of the above shall “be expelled [by] a two-thirds (⅔) vote of all members of the National Political Committee”;

Be it resolved, that DSA shall continue to organize chapters and national bodies to act as meaningful partners within the Palestine solidarity movement, prioritizing campaigns and organizing approaches that:

Directly undermine material support for Israel, respond to priorities identified by the Palestinian solidarity movement, and correspond with strategic organizing sectors where DSA is well-positioned to contribute (e.g. logistics and higher education);
Build an organized mass base of support for Palestine and engage a range of political and mass organizations, communities, and economic sectors, thus bringing working-class people together through joint struggle and strengthening our local and national coalitions, particularly with Palestinian-led organizations;
Protect our movement and build resilience against state and Zionist repression;

Build in Coalitions

Be it resolved, that DSA reaffirms its commitment to the Stop Fueling Genocide campaign, encourages chapters to identify whether a local campaign is viable, and directs the IC Palestine Subcommittee to continue to expand the number of chapters involved in Stop Fueling Genocide, with a goal of having at least one active campaign in each of the top 15 states with the most Chevron gas stations by the end of 2026;

Be it resolved, that DSA endorses the Palestine Solidarity Working Group’s No Appetite For Apartheid (NA4A) campaign, encourages all chapters to identify whether running a local campaign is viable, and directs the IC Palestine Subcommittee and the National Communications Committee to share information about the NA4A campaign with chapters and members and to publicize NA4A campaign calls, announcements, victories, and calls to action as they occur;

Be it resolved, that the IC Palestine Subcommittee shall conduct targeted outreach to chapters located in states other than the 15 states where local NA4A campaigns are active as of April 2025, with the goal of organizing chapters in at least 12 new states to launch a local campaign by the end of 2026;

Be it resolved, that DSA endorses the Palestinian Youth Movement’s Mask Off Maersk campaign and reaffirms its commitment to leveraging its members’ presence in the labor movement to build labor support for arms embargo campaigns such as Mask off Maersk and No Harbor for Genocide by growing the Labor for an Arms Embargo working group within the NLC, as outlined in the March 2025 NLC resolution;

Be it resolved, that the Labor for an Arms Embargo working group shall work toward an initial goal of kickstarting campaigns to support an arms embargo in at least 10 union locals in strategic cities (i.e., cities with seaports, airports, and inland logistics hubs implicated in transporting military cargo to Israel or cities with Maersk terminals) by the end of 2026;

Be it resolved, that the Mask Off Maersk organizing committee within the IC Palestine Subcommittee shall identify a minimum of 5 chapters in or closest to strategic cities as defined above or in locations where there is no pre-existing PYM chapter already spearheading Maersk organizing and, by the end of 2026, recruit them to support campaigns in union locals with parallel community organizing, including:

Attacking Maersk’s institutional ties by pressuring suppliers, universities, cultural institutions, and other organizations to terminate partnerships, sponsorships, contracts, and research collaborations with Maersk;
Increasing reputational damage to Maersk by exposing its participation in genocide through media engagement, public events, and community education;
Pressuring city councils, universities, pension funds, religious institutions, etc. to divest funds invested in Maersk;

Be it resolved, that, by the end of 2025, DSA shall convene an Arms Embargo Organizing Committee with 2 liaisons from the IC Mask Off Maersk organizing committee, 2 liaisons from the Labor for an Arms Embargo Working Group, and 5 at-large members to be selected by the NPC by Single Transferable Vote from an open application process, prioritizing DSA members with relevant skills and experience (e.g., knowledge of the logistics sector; participation in efforts to disrupt weapons shipments, such as Block the Boat; coalitional relationships with relevant organizations), for a total of 9 members, which shall meet at least quarterly to provide coordination and develop joint strategies across different bodies;

Be it resolved, that the IC Palestine Subcommittee and Arms Embargo Steering Committee shall produce a short report to membership by March 2027 evaluating the successes, challenges, and overall effectiveness of DSA’s participation in the Stop Fueling Genocide, NA4A, and Arms Embargo campaigns, assessing the status of these efforts, and recommending updated goals, strategies, and relationship to these campaigns to be adopted by 2027 convention;

Be it resolved, that candidates endorsed by DSA shall be asked to vote in favor of legislation that directly advances the goals of DSA-endorsed campaigns related to Palestinian liberation, such as Mask off Maersk, Stop Fueling Genocide, No Appetite for Apartheid, and Not On Our Dime and refrain from public disavowal of such campaigns;

BDS from City Council to the Union Hall

Be it resolved, that, building on the IC Palestine Subcommittee’s political education series on Municipal Level Divestment Campaigns, DSA shall continue to develop chapters’ ability to undertake divestment campaigns targeting direct investments in Israel (e.g. Israeli bonds); investments in companies complicit in Israeli apartheid and genocide; and investments in the war industry more broadly including Maersk, through the following capacity-building blocks:

Developing a framework to analyze local conditions and opportunities to identify whether a divestment campaign is strategic;
Training chapters on campaign strategy and target identification for pressure campaigns and ballot initiatives;
Producing or collecting template language for divestment resolutions, ordinances, and ballot initiatives tailored for different institutions including city councils, faith organizations, labor unions, pension funds, educational and cultural organizations, etc.;

Be it resolved, that the NLC shall provide support and coordination, including sharing resolution template language, for DSA members to kickstart or support efforts for labor unions to divest from companies and institutions complicit in Israeli occupation and apartheid or broadly adopt BDS principles, if dealing with union locals that are not strategically well positioned for an arms embargo-focused campaign;

Be it resolved, that, in coordination with the IC Palestine Subcommittee, the National Electoral Commission and local chapters’ Socialists in Office or similar formations shall provide template language and direct DSA-endorsed elected officials to advance and support municipal ordinances and local ballot measures that push municipalities or states to adopt divestment and/or other commitments to advance an arms embargo, synthesizing lessons and tools from recent case studies (e.g., the Apartheid-Free Community ballot measures passed by 5 towns in Vermont) as well as historical precedents (e.g., the nuclear-free zones movement and the South Africa Apartheid boycott and divestment movement);

Be it resolved, that DSA shall work toward an initial goal of kickstarting organizing around ballot initiatives in at least 5 chapters by the end of 2026, ideally in jurisdictions where efforts can develop in coordination with DSA-endorsed elected officials, as a structure test to pilot the ballot initiative divestment strategy;

Be it resolved, that the IC Palestine Subcommittee and the National Electoral Commission shall produce a short report to membership in early 2027, evaluating the successes, challenges, and lessons learnt from these pilot campaigns and recommending updated goals for divestment strategies to be adopted by 2027 convention;

Be it resolved, that the National Electoral Commission, Federal Socialists in Office Committee, and local chapters’ Socialists in Office committees or equivalent formations shall support DSA-endorsed elected officials in providing template language for legislation that:

Advances civil rights protections for Palestine solidarity organizing and counters repression of the movement, including commitments from city councils, state legislatures, and other relevant state agencies to:

Decline to share data with federal law enforcement and federal agencies;
End joint surveillance initiatives with the federal government (e.g., ‘anti-terrorism task forces’, fusion centers, etc.);
Refuse to assist federal law enforcement and federal troops in the policing and surveillance of protests;
Resist the deployment of National Guard troops to suppress protests.

Repeals laws and policies that limit our ability to organize and expose us to state repression, such as anti-BDS laws, the IHRA definitions of anti-semitism, or anti-masking laws;
Opposes efforts to penalize individuals, universities, and other entities that boycott or protest Israel, including actions that permit the use of force by the state against people protesting in support of Palestine, harming Palestinians and their allies and violating rights to freedom of speech and expression;

Support the Student Intifada

Be it resolved, that DSA shall provide the YDSA Palestine Committee with staff time and liaisons from the National Communications Committee, IC Palestine Subcommittee, and NLC as needed;

Be it resolved, that DSA affirms support for YDSA’s ‘Sanctuary Campus’ national priority campaign and shall facilitate coordination between the YDSA National Coordinating Committee and the NLC, IC Migrant Rights Working Group, and IC Palestine Subcommittee to develop joint strategies for students, higher education workers, and community members in order to win protections for immigrant students and workers and fight political repression of Palestine solidarity organizers on campus;

Be it resolved, that the bodies above shall, at a minimum, arrange an organizing training geared toward kickstarting or advancing Sanctuary Campus campaigns by the end of 2025, and shall set a goal of recruiting at least 150 members from at least 50 chapters to attend, prioritizing recruitment of students, educators, Palestine solidarity and immigrant rights organizers, and higher education union members;

Be it resolved, that DSA shall, through the IC Palestine Subcommittee and other relevant national bodies involved in rapid response organizing, facilitate access to legal representation, jail support, and compliance advice for any DSA and YDSA members facing disciplinary repercussions or repression at their universities and workplaces or prosecution by the state due to their involvement in Palestine solidarity organizing.