Resolution for an Anti-Zionist Inland Empire DSA

WHEREAS, the Democratic Socialists of America’s (DSA) founding merger was heavily predicated on ensuring that it would uphold the Democratic Socialist Organizing Committee’s position of supporting continued American aid to the Zionist settler-colonial project of Israel¹;

WHEREAS, the DSA’s historic and contemporary association with, and enablement of, Zionism has jeopardized DSA rank-and-file members’ confidence in the integrity of National DSA’s overall politics, as well as working relationships with major Palestinian-led grassroots organizations across North America;

WHEREAS, there is an urgent need to address that DSA membership has overwhelmingly denounced Zionism through its stated principles and convention mandates since 2017 but has yet to articulate these newfound principles into a more coherent practice;

WHEREAS, in the Convention Resolutions #4, #50, and #62 from the 2019 DSA National Convention², the DSA is an anti-imperialist and anti-colonialist organization committed to advancing decolonization projects;

WHEREAS, in the Convention Resolutions #41 and #45 from the 2017 National Convention³ and Resolutions #4 and #31 from the 2021 National Convention⁴, the DSA is an anti-racist organization;

WHEREAS, the DSA has publicly declared in recent years⁵ and on numerous occasions⁶ that it “unapologetically stands in solidarity with Palestinian people everywhere;”⁷

WHEREAS, Zionism – as popularized by Theodore Herzl and explicitly described by him as “something colonial,”⁸ meant to be “a wall of Europe against Asia ... an outpost of Western civilization against Eastern barbarism,”⁹ - is and always has been a racist, imperialist, settler-colonial project that has resulted in the ongoing death, displacement, and dehumanization of Palestinians everywhere; and

WHEREAS, the establishment of a Jewish ethno-state of Israel in Palestine and its maintenance via ongoing and illegal occupation, apartheid and ethnic cleansing represent the culmination of a century-long colonization of Palestine;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, the Inland Empire California Chapter of DSA (IE DSA) denounces the organization's Zionist roots and reaffirms its commitment to being an anti-racist, anti-imperialist organization by explicitly committing to being an anti-Zionist chapter in both principles and praxis;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, IE DSA reaffirms our organizations’ commitments to Palestinian liberation and the broad, international Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement¹⁰ by conveying our expectation that all of IE DSA’s endorsed candidates hold true to the following basic commitments:

1. Publicly support the BDS movement;
2. Refrain from any and all affiliation with the Israeli government or Zionist lobby groups, such as, but not limited to, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), J Street, or Democratic Majority for Israel (DMFI), including participating in political junkets or any event sponsored by these entities;
3. Pledge to oppose legislation that harms Palestinians, such as:
   • Any official adoption of a redefinition of antisemitism to include opposition to Israel’s policies or legal system, or support for BDS;
   • Legislative and executive efforts to penalize individuals and/or entities that boycott Israel;
   • Legislative and executive efforts to send any military or economic resources to Israel;
4. Pledge to support legislation that supports Palestinian liberation, such as:
   • Legislative and executive efforts to end Israeli apartheid and ethnic cleansing against Palestinians and promote Palestinians’ rights to return to and live freely on the land;
   • Condemnation of Israeli apartheid and colonial practices;
   • Attempts to end the spending of United States’ tax dollars on Israel and/or sanction Israel until it ceases its practices of apartheid and colonialism;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, candidates who cannot commit to the aforementioned basic expectations will be disqualified from chapter endorsement at any level;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, IE DSA, in collaboration with trusted grassroots Palestinian Solidarity movement partners and the DSA International Committee, will provide chapter endorsed candidates with anti-Zionist educations materials, one-to-one training opportunities and ongoing, open-door counsel as needed;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that upon receiving fair and ample opportunity for education about the Palestinian struggle for liberation, previous chapter endorsed candidates who do not commit to the aforementioned basic expectations will have their chapter endorsement swiftly revoked;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that from the passage of this resolution on, IE DSA members who are credibly shown to:

1. be consistently and publicly opposed to the BDS movement and Palestine;
2. be affiliated with the Israeli government or any Zionist lobby group(s) such as, but not limited to, AIPAC, J Street, or DMFI;
3. have provided material aid to Israel;
   will receive fair and ample opportunity for education about the Palestinian struggle for liberation. If the member persists in the aforementioned behavior, they will be considered in substantial disagreement with IE DSA’s principles and policies, and thus, the chapter will initiate the expulsion process in line with Article 1, Section 3 of the National DSA Bylaws¹¹;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, members expelled on these grounds may be reconsidered for membership reinstatement once per year provided they write a statement to the chapter membership that:

1. demonstrates a basic understanding of Palestinian issues and Zionism; and
2. apologizes for past anti-solidaristic behaviors with a commitment to putting their new anti-Zionist principles into practice.
   Membership reinstatement will require a recommendation for reinstatement by the Steering Committee of IE DSA, followed by a majority vote in favor of reinstatement by the National Political Committee, as per National DSA’s Bylaws.

Passed by the Membership of IE DSA meeting on December 17, 2023 by an OpenSlides vote.

Amended by the Membership of IE DSA meeting on January 28, 2023 by an OpenSlides vote.

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