Concerning Ocasio-Cortez and Palestine

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Concerning Ocasio-Cortez and Palestine was an Open Letter released July 24, 2018.

Letter

To Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the DSA National Electoral Committee, and DSA’s New York City chapter,

  • The occupation of Palestine is in many ways a complex issue. However, some things are black-and-white.
  • Always side with the oppressed.
  • Always oppose settler colonialism.
  • Never split hairs or play devil’s advocate for apartheid.
This is why at the 2017 National Convention, Democratic Socialists of America voted overwhelmingly in favor of supporting Palestinian liberation and the Boycott, Divestment, Sanction movement (BDS). DSA is a big-tent socialist organization filled with countless leftist tendencies historically at odds with one another on many fronts. But on this one issue, we have largely spoken in a single, unified voice: we support justice for Palestine and an end the Israeli occupation.
On the campaign trail leading up to the 2018 New York primaries, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez received endorsements from both DSA National and DSA’s New York City chapter. Herself a DSA member and professed socialist, Ocasio-Cortez was a likely candidate for DSA support and the organization threw its weight behind her, marshaling an army of canvassers and experienced organizers to help win her the nomination. She quickly emerged, in appearance at least, as the type of ally Palestine needs inside the global superpower most complicit in its ongoing oppression. She condemned the slaughter of unarmed Palestinian protesters by Israeli snipers, rightfully calling it a “massacre.” She criticized her opponent for supporting the relocation of the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem. In a broader context, her platform calls for an economy of peace and an end to perpetual U.S. warfare in the Middle East and beyond.
However, she has never outright expressed her commitment to Palestinian liberation, BDS, or the end of Israel’s brutal occupation of Palestine. Furthermore, in mid-July she sat down for an interview with PBS’s Margaret Hoover and left many of her supporters disappointed and concerned about her commitment to the issue.
In DSA we strive to assume good intent and give comrades benefit of the doubt. However, a number of Ocasio-Cortez’s statements in the PBS interview raise serious red flags. As members of the organization which has endorsed and continues to campaign for her, we offer good-faith criticism, seek clarification on several outstanding points from the PBS interview, and make specific requests for moving forward.
We ask that DSA’s National Electoral Committee to adhere to DSA National’s resolution in support of justice for Palestine and only endorse candidates who themselves support Palestinian liberation. If Ocasio-Cortez declines to clarify her position and make a firm commitment to support Palestinian liberation in accordance with DSA and socialist principles, we ask the DSA NEC to rescind its endorsement of her.
Finally, we ask the New York City chapter of DSA to hold themselves and Ocasio-Cortez accountable to live up to our values as an organization and as leftists. We ask that they prioritize developing an understanding of the settler-colonial context of the Israel/Palestine conflict, of broader U.S. imperialism in the Middle East, and of the duty of socialists to oppose these forms of oppression and exploitation.
We believe that Ocasio-Cortez’ statements in the PBS interview were blunders arising from a lack of preparation on this particular issue. We accept in good faith her assertion that she isn’t an expert on the geopolitics of the Middle East. Moving forward, this must change. As an organization, as socialists, and as citizens of humanity we must hold ourselves accountable and always fight on the side of justice.
Signed,

Groups

Members

References

  1. ↑ [1]
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