The Democratic Socialists of America’s latest anti-Israel resolutions are a masterclass in ideological overreach, alienating even their own rising stars like mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, as the New York Post reports.
Last month in Chicago, the DSA’s biannual national conference passed resolutions endorsing armed struggle against Israel and threatening to expel members who dare support the Jewish state’s right to self-defense. These moves double down on the party’s hard-left anti-Zionist stance. Mamdani, a prominent DSA member, now faces pressure that could derail his New York City mayoral campaign.
The resolution, titled “For a Fighting Anti-Zionist DSA,” demands loyalty to the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement and bans cooperation with pro-Israel groups like AIPAC. Members who oppose this or defend Israel’s security risk expulsion. It’s a purity test that screams intolerance while preaching progress.
The DSA’s new rules endorse “al-Thawabit,” a 1977 Palestinian National Council doctrine that glorifies “resistance by any means necessary,” including armed struggle. This isn’t just rhetoric -- it’s a call to escalate conflict, not resolve it. A recent Network Contagion Research Institute report flagged this resolution as a dangerous step toward extremism.
Francesca Maria Maviglia, a key sponsor, co-chairs Connecticut’s DSA and serves on the party’s National Political Committee. Originally from Bologna, Italy, she’s a longtime anti-Israel activist, co-founding the Connecticut Palestine Solidarity Coalition. Her radical credentials include a 2018 stint with Yale’s Students for Justice in Palestine.
On Oct. 7, 2023, as Hamas launched terrorist attacks on Israel, Maviglia posted “europe will fall too” on X, a chilling response to a condemnation of the violence. Now a Postgraduate Research Associate at Yale’s School of Medicine, she didn’t respond to inquiries about her stance. Her silence speaks louder than her tweet.
Zohran Mamdani, a DSA-backed lawmaker running for mayor, has tried to distance himself from the party’s more extreme policies. “My platform is not the same as national DSA,” he declared, sensing the political quicksand. Yet the DSA’s leadership may not let him off so easily, given their rigid new mandates.
The conference, held August 8 to 10, featured a keynote by Rep. Rashida Tlaib, a vocal anti-Israel “Squad” member. Tlaib was fundraising for Mamdani’s super PAC at the event, tying him closer to the DSA’s radical wing. His campaign’s silence on Thursday when asked for comment suggests he’s feeling the heat.
Another resolution backer, Ahmed Husain, a New York-based DSA National Political Committee member, has his own radical streak. An immigrant who began organizing during the 2011 Arab Spring, Husain recently praised Communist China at a New York event welcoming a Chinese group from Guizhou Province. His social media accounts, now deactivated, leave his current stance a mystery.
In a June article for Partisan magazine, Husain called out Sen. Bernie Sanders and former Rep. Jamaal Bowman as “enablers of Israel’s genocide.” He didn’t spare Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez either, slamming her for not fully backing Palestinian activists in her district. “She has been hounded by pro-Palestine activists… for her initial reluctance to call Israel’s campaign… a genocide,” Husain wrote, painting AOC as a sellout.
Husain’s critique of Ocasio-Cortez reveals the DSA’s growing intolerance for dissent, even among its biggest names. His claim that Israel’s actions constitute “mass murder” with “over 50,000 dead in eight months” ignores context and inflames division. It’s the kind of hyperbole that thrives on outrage, not facts.
The DSA’s resolutions put Mamdani in a bind: toe the anti-Israel line or risk expulsion and alienate his base. His recent moves to distance himself from national DSA policies suggest he sees the electoral danger. New Yorkers, famously diverse and pragmatic, may not take kindly to such ideological ultimatums.
Mamdani’s campaign could suffer as voters question his alignment with a party embracing such extreme positions. The DSA’s demand for loyalty over reason clashes with the city’s need for practical leadership. His silence on the resolutions only fuels speculation about his true stance.
The DSA’s conference, held every two years, has become a stage for radical posturing, with Tlaib’s keynote setting the tone. Her fundraising for Mamdani ties him to the party’s anti-Israel agenda, whether he likes it or not. New Yorkers deserve clarity, not ambiguity, from their would-be mayor.
As the DSA purges moderates and doubles down on divisive rhetoric, it risks alienating voters who reject extremism in any form. Mamdani’s balancing act -- appeasing the DSA while appealing to a broader electorate -- may prove impossible. The party’s latest resolutions aren’t just anti-Israel; they’re anti-pragmatism, and that’s a losing bet in New York City.
