Further, in the statement, the DSA affirmed its “alignment” with the foundational principles of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) known as Al Thawabit. Formalized in 1977, these principles lay down the non-negotiable red lines of the Palestinian movement that all factions are expected to uphold in any political or military negotiations.

The principles include:

• The right to “resist occupation in all forms”
• The right to self-determination and sovereignty
• The establishment of Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine​
• The “right of return” for all Palestinian “refugees”​

In short, the DSA has called for – and is now supporting – a ceasefire not in the name of peace but as a political weapon.

The DSA is following Hamas’ historical playbook: When the defeat becomes too much to bear (or the money runs out for the terror organization), Hamas accepts a ceasefire. Yet, the pause is only meant to be temporary, giving time to rearm.

As with previous ceasefires, Hamas, as well as the DSA, has not given up on its ultimate goal: the complete destruction of Israel “from the river to the sea.”

Zohran Mamdani

The DSA’s most famous candidate, Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic candidate for New York City mayor and current frontrunner, echoed those sentiments. After first paying lip service to the freed Israeli hostages – a move that infuriated DSA members – Mamdani parroted the lies of his DSA organization, lambasting the American government for funding a “genocide” and vowing to “work towards a future … without occupation and apartheid …”

His actions on the eve of the agreement were more overt. While the world prayed for peace and waited for the return of the hostages, Mamdani participated, for the third year in a row, in the NYC 5K for Gaza run, a fundraiser for UNRWA, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency.

UNRWA, an organization solely dedicated to Palestinian “refugees,” has a long and documented history of collaboration with Hamas in Gaza, including most recently, the participation by UNRWA employees in the atrocities of October 7. UNRWA employees also held hostages in their homes, starving and abusing them.

In a proud tweet about his participation in the event, Mamdani characterized the organization as a provider of “critical humanitarian aid and services to Palestinians in Gaza” and encouraged others to donate.

Meanwhile, others called him out for his clear support for Hamas:

Just days later, in an interview on Fox News, Mamdani refused to say that Hamas should lay down its weapons and leave the leadership in Gaza, as demanded by the peace agreement.

Bernie Sanders

Bernie Sanders, an ardent socialist who has served in Congress for the last 34 years and whose presidential race sparked the resurgement of the DSA into a political force in America, equivocated between the “20 remaining Israelis held by Hamas and the freeing of almost 2,000 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons,” making no mention that the Israelis were kidnapped, tortured, starved and held hostage by a brutal terrorist organization while the Palestinians freed by Israel were arrested for heinous terror offenses.

Sanders went on to perpetrate the lie of “widespread malnutrition and starvation,” demanding unfettered access for the United Nations, which knowingly allowed Hamas to hijack the massive amount of humanitarian and food aid shipped into Gaza during the war by Israel ( a well-reported fact of which Sanders was undoubtedly aware).

Sanders further perpetrated another known lie, stating that “Israel had no right to go to war against the entire Palestinian people,” ignoring the ubiquitous use of human shields by Hamas and the fact that Israel killed fewer civilians per combatant than in any other urban war in history.

The senator concluded by calling for a permanent arms embargo by America against Israel.

Sanders' remarks stand in contrast to mainstream Democratic politicians, such as Hillary Clinton, who praised the ceasefire as a “really significant first step” and commended President Trump and other Arab leaders for “making a commitment to the 20-point [peace] plan.”

Sanders’ remarks also contrasted those of U.S. Senator John Fetterman (D-PA), who posted a quote from former hostage Eli Sharabi, saying, “Now, life.” Fetterman continued, “The nightmare finally ends.” The Democratic senator also gave credit to President Trump for the ceasefire deal.

Andrew Cuomo, former governor of New York and Mamdani’s main opponent in the NYC mayoral race, posted about the "unimaginable pain” of the families of the Israeli hostages, expressing relief that they “are finally home in the arms of their loved ones.”

In contrast to Mamdani, who has repeatedly refused to condemn the slogan "Globalize the Intifada” or call for Hamas to lay down its arms, Cuomo further stated,

“This is more than a diplomatic success; it is a moral moment, a reminder of our shared humanity and the sacred value of every life. We must never forget the terrorist act that brought us here, and we must stand together to say, with one voice: never forget and never again. Terrorism has no place in Gaza, in the Middle East, or anywhere in the world.”

Rashida Tlaib

After repeatedly calling for an end to the war between Israel and Hamas, Representative Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), an activist member of DSA, was noticeably silent when an actual ceasefire was announced. Two days later, she surfaced on social media, calling for the State Department to “investigate the killings of 13 U.S. citizens by Israeli forces in Gaza and the West Bank.”

Of the citizens Tlaib was referring to, six were killed before October 7, 2023, three while perpetrating terror offenses, one accidentally while obstructing an IDF operation, one accidentally while covering a firefight between the IDF and terrorist forces and one through a heart attack after refusing to obey IDF orders.

Of the seven killed after October 7, 2023, some are terror-related, while some are still under investigation.

Reaction from DSA Caucuses and Chapters

Most of DSA’s caucuses were silent on the news of a ceasefire, proving accusations from Israel supporters that supporters of “Palestine” are not motivated by a desire to help the Palestinian people but rather by the desire to destroy Israel.

This has been further borne out by the cross-the-board silence in the face of Hamas’ horrific and public executions post-ceasefire of any Gazans perceived to be against the terror group.

Silence about these events came from the Marxist Unity Group, the Liberation Caucus, the Liberation Socialist Caucus, the New York City DSA chapter, the DSA’s youth movement (YDSA), the Red Star Caucus, DSA Emerge, the Red Star Caucus, DSA Afrosocialists & Socialists of Color, Groundwork and the DSA International Committee.

The exception came from Springs of Revolution, one of the most extremist of the DSA caucuses, which posted DSA’s statement, adding its own defiant message which stated, "We will break the gears of the US imperial war machine that enables Israel and halt the flow of arms and oil to ensure our comrades may resist their oppression, cast off the occupation and with dignity, freely self-determine their future. ✊"

The Philadelphia chapter of DSA issued a statement managing to reframe Hamas’ defeat as victory:

“We proudly celebrate the resistance that won a hard-fought ceasefire in Gaza and the prisoner exchange that reunites thousands of Palestinian families. Up against the combined military might of the U.S.and its client state of Israel, resistance factions in Palestine channeled their connection to the land and their commitment to the liberation of the Palestinian people, and successfully won a ceasefire.

“… True liberation for Palestine lies in decolonization. We call for a one-state solution where safety and dignity are not predicated on religion or nationality – for the complete dismantling of the Zionist state.”