A Line in the Sand
On September 28, 2024, the Twin Cities Democratic Socialists of America (TCDSA) etched its name into the annals of socialist anti-imperialist struggle. By passing the resolution “Make Twin Cities DSA an Anti-Zionist Organization in Principle and Praxis,” the chapter didn’t just condemn Zionism—it declared war on the settler-colonial project itself. This resolution is not a mere policy shift; it is a revolutionary rupture from the DSA’s historically fraught relationship with Zionism and a clarion call for unapologetic solidarity with Palestine.
What It Demands
The resolution, spearheaded by comrades Oli, Matt, and Myself and numerous other members of the Palestine Solidarity Working Group, is a blueprint for dismantling complicity with Israeli apartheid. Key pillars of the resolution include:
Expelling Zionism from DSA’s DNA: The resolution confronts the DSA’s founding merger documents, which once upheld support for Israel as a “social-democratic” project. It denounces this legacy as antithetical to modern anti-racist, anti-colonial principles, demanding accountability for endorsed politicians like Jamaal Bowman and Nithya Raman, who faltered on BDS and voted for Israeli military aid.
BDS as Non-Negotiable: Candidates seeking TCDSA endorsement must now publicly support BDS, reject ties to Zionist lobby groups (AIPAC, J Street, DMFI), and oppose legislation penalizing Palestine solidarity. This aligns with TCDSA’s 2022 resolution pledging solidarity with the Palestine liberation movement and its call for the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanction of Israel.
Education and Expulsion: Members who advance Zionist interests—through lobbying, anti-BDS activism, or affiliations with groups like the Jewish National Fund—face expulsion. Reinstatement requires a public reckoning: an apology and commitment to anti-Zionist praxis.
From Principle to Praxis
This resolution is not symbolic. It is a tactical escalation in a decades-long fight. By framing Zionism as a “racist, imperialist, settler-colonial project,” TCDSA echoes Palestinian civil society and aligns with global movements like Land Back, which ties Indigenous sovereignty here to Palestinian liberation abroad. The resolution explicitly names the U.S. role in Israel’s genocide in Gaza, which has killed over 200,000 Palestinians. This mirrors TCDSA’s 2023 solidarity statement condemning Israel’s “apartheid regime” and its support for the Vote Uncommitted campaign, which mobilized 19% of Minnesotans to protest Biden’s complicity in the genocide.
For too long, DSA’s ambivalence toward Zionism alienated Palestinian members and allies. This resolution transforms the chapter into a sanctuary for those threatened by Zionism’s violence, both in Palestine and diaspora communities.
But TCDSA’s move is strategic, not performative. It recognizes that solidarity requires material disengagement from Zionism—not just rhetoric. The chapter’s collaboration with groups like the Free Palestine Coalition and Palestinian Youth Movement signals a shift from protest to power-building.
TCDAS members understand that the resolution is a first step, not a victory lap. Palestinian liberation demands more. As the resolution notes, Zionism cannot be divorced from white supremacy, capitalism, or U.S. imperialism. Winning a free Palestine means fighting for Indigenous sovereignty here, defunding police, and abolishing borders.
Twin Cities DSA has lit a fire. Now, comrades nationwide must fan the flames. Zionism is not a “debate”—it is a death cult. As TCDSA’s resolution declares: “From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be free” is not a slogan; it is a mandate. The road ahead is long, but for the first time in DSA’s history, a chapter has dared to walk it without apology.
Solidarity forever—until every settlement crumbles, every wall falls, and every being breathes free.
By Hamza H.