By the Austin DSA Leadership Committee
In a letter dated 1/9/22 and first publicized in a Jewish Insider article, congressional candidate Greg Casar affirms his support for military aid to Israel and states that he is not a supporter of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement. Austin DSA’s elected leadership finds that these statements are not reconcilable with DSA’s stance in solidarity with Palestine.
As socialists and internationalists, we recognize that Israel is an apartheid state that violates the human rights of Palestinians. We consistently stand against military aid and interventions around the globe, so we of course oppose providing military aid of any kind to Israel. We also support the overwhelming call from Palestinian civil society for BDS. DSA is a democratic organization that has affirmed this position in resolutions at three national conventions and in DSA’s political platform.
DSA endorsements involve significant volunteer work and are reserved for candidates who closely align with DSA’s platform and socialist principles. As a democratic organization, changing our endorsement would require a membership vote. Instead, after discussions with the leadership committee and other members, the Casar campaign has rescinded their request for endorsement.
We have a long history of working with Greg Casar on health care, paid sick time, police budgets, homelessness, housing justice, union rights, and more. We will continue to discuss this issue within our chapter and many individual members will continue to support the campaign, but we will no longer be working on this campaign as an organization. This is consistent with the DSA National Political Committee’s statement and decisions in response to Congressman Bowman’s vote for Israeli military funding.