The Democratic Socialists of America condemned the murders of two Israeli embassy employees outside a Jewish museum last week, after one of the far-left party’s factions praised the attack.
“Democratic Socialists of America seek to democratically transform our society and reject vigilante violence,” read the statement, posted to X/Twitter Wednesday afternoon. “We condemn the murder of Israeli embassy workers. Any statement otherwise is not the stance of DSA.”
The condemnation — published nearly a week after Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky were gunned down outside an event hosted by the American Jewish Committee at the Capital Jewish Museum — appears to refer to a post by one of the DSA’s factions, called the Liberation Caucus, endorsing the attack. That faction, which calls itself the DSA’s “Marxist-Leninist-Maoist caucus,” reposted a statement praising the shooting on Tuesday and called to “Free Elias Rodriguez,” the alleged gunman.
“As imperialism has made the entire world its battlefield, it is justified to fight it, by any means necessary, without regard for geography,” the statement said. “This holds especially true for those of us struggling behind enemy lines, inside the US, an entity that is an equal party in all crimes committed by the zionists.”
Following the Liberation Caucus tweet, New York Rep. Ritchie Torres, a Democratic pro-Israel stalwart, tweeted, “The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) has publicly endorsed the barbaric murder of a young Jewish and Israeli couple.” He does not appear to have reacted to the subsequent condemnation by the DSA.
The clash between the DSA and its Liberation Caucus reflects a broader split on the American far left over whether to praise or condemn the diplomats’ murders. The suspect, Rodriguez, is a far-left activist who allegedly shouted “Free Palestine” following the attack.
Many of the country’s most prominent progressive figures, who are often vocally critical of Israel, have joined voices from across the political spectrum in denouncing the attack and condemning antisemitism. Those include, among others, New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, and Brandon Johnson, the mayor of Chicago, where Rodriguez lived.
Organization critical of Israel
The DSA, a leading organization of the US left, has also been vociferously critical of Israel. It endorses a boycott of Israel and was widely criticized, including by some of its leading members, for a pro-Palestinian rally it promoted the day after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel. Another group with which Rodriguez was once associated, the far-left Party for Socialism and Liberation, also said it did not support the shooting.
But some activists on the left have expressed support for the attack, saying the victims deserved to die because they worked for the Israeli government. Many of the reactions to the DSA condemnation were critical; multiple X users equated Israel to Nazi Germany. The DSA post also received criticism from pro-Israel users who regarded it as insincere or insufficient.
The Liberation Caucus does not appear to have responded directly to the DSA’s condemnation of the attack. But shortly before that condemnation was posted, the caucus tweeted that it was not representative of the whole DSA.
“Liberation is not all of DSA,” it tweeted. “DSA is comprised of many different ideological tendencies, we are just one. Right-wing news outlets and individuals have chosen to take the statement we signed to portray the entire organization as holding our views — this is wrong.”
