NEW YORK, N.Y. — It is a holy time of year for many of the world’s faiths and many of us in NYC-DSA are partaking in traditions of Passover, Easter, and Ramadan. These traditions, with roots in historic Palestine, hold freedom from oppression, renewal, reflection, and community as core ideas. We celebrate these ideas when coming together.  

Especially in light of this, NYC-DSA strongly condemns Israel’s recent attacks on worshippers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the violent settler and military raids on West Bank villages, the bombing campaigns across Gaza and Lebanon, and the everyday brutalization Palestinians experience under illegal military occupation and apartheid. We condemn attempts by the Israeli government to paint any resistance to this oppression as unprovoked in order to justify further state repression.

Israel’s current escalation in violence against Palestinians is the culmination of a decades-long settler colonial offensive that has brought untold suffering and dispossession to generations of Palestinians. The US political establishment and the capitalist and imperialist interests they represent shamelessly enable these atrocities. In the country that is the primary military, political, and financial supporter of the Israeli government, it is our responsibility to speak out and organize against the role the United States plays in enabling these atrocities.

New Yorkers will not stand idly by as politicians like Ritchie Torres and right-wing organizations like AIPAC give cover for occupation, war crimes, ethnic cleansing, and apartheid. While Israel violates international law, the basic political right to resist is under attack across the US. Thirty-five states have passed laws restricting the use of Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS), including New York through a 2016 executive order by Governor Cuomo. We are proud of our DSA-endorsed representatives who have taken principled stands against these injustices and continue to fight in solidarity with Palestinans.

In New York City, the Palestinian community has led an inspiring fight alongside Jewish comrades and other organizers to oppose Israeli oppression. Growing support for the Palestinian cause in the US today, especially among young people, points to a shift in public perception. Progressive forces must work to dismantle the racist narratives that are used to attack Palestinians and uplift the voices demanding justice by addressing the complicity of our own country and state in aiding the Israeli government. NYC-DSA is a committed partner in this fight for a just world free of oppression.

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ABOUT THE NEW YORK CITY CHAPTER OF THE DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISTS OF AMERICA (NYC-DSA): NYC-DSA is New York City’s local chapter of Democratic Socialists of America, the largest socialist organization in the United States with over 85,000 members. Thousands of members and activists are working together to build a democratic socialist organization across the state.