Washington, DC [US], October 12 : US Representative Shri Thanedar has announced that he is renouncing his membership in the Democratic Socialists of America over its promotion of what he described as a "hate-filled" and "antisemitic rally" in New York City.
In a statement posted on X, Shri Thanedar said, "Today, I am officially renouncing my membership in the Democratic Socialists of America. After the brutal terrorist attacks on Israel, which included the indiscriminate murder, rape, and kidnapping of innocent men, women, and children, I can no longer associate with an organization unwilling to call out terrorism in all its forms. Sunday's hate-filled and antisemitic rally in New York City, promoted by the NYC-DSA, makes it impossible for me to continue my affiliation."
Thanedar said that he stands with Israel and its right to defend itself. He further said, "There is no place for moral equivocation in the face of unadulterated evil as we have seen from Hamas." He said that a rally held in Times Square pushed him to make the decision. The rally was held a day after Hamas launched its attack on Israel.
Supporters for Israel and Palestine held a rally across the US, The Hill reported. People gathered outside the United Nations in support of Israel on Sunday while other groups backing Palestinians gathered in Times Square.
He said that he would continue to work towards the goal that brought him to Congress. Thanedar said that he strongly believes that ending his association with Democratic Socialists of America serves his constituents' interests as they expect him to represent them by helping to "build a better, more just world, not fanning the flames of hatred."
The NYC-DSA had also reposted a statement on X, promoting rallies against funding for Israel on Saturday. In a statement, the group wrote, "Take to the streets to join a protest for peace and against funding the Israeli state. Find out what actions local DSA and YDSA chapters are taking and join in."
Earlier this week, US Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, another member of the DSA, also denounced the rally held in New York City, The Hill reported.
Meanwhile, the NYC-DSA released a statement addressing the criticism over the rally, according to The Hill report.
In the statement posted on X, the group wrote, "On Saturday, in anticipation of escalatory violence to come, we tweeted a promotion of a rally in solidarity with the people of Palestine. We understand why many, including our allies, were shocked by the timing and the tone of this message in a moment of profound fear and grief. We are sorry for the confusion our post caused and for not making our values explicit."
In a major escalation on Saturday, terrorist group Hamas launched an attack on Israel. Israel has launched a counter-offensive against Hamas in response to the latter's attack that left over 1,200 Israelis dead and is aiming to completely eliminate the terror group, The Times of Israel reported.
Israeli Air Forces said that it has launched a wave of attacks with the goal of causing damage to the commando force of the terrorist group.
In a post shared on X, Israeli Air Forces stated, "During the night (Thursday) the Air Force launched a wave of attacks with the aim of continuing to damage the commando force of the terrorist organization Hamas known as "Nachaba", by attacking operational headquarters which were used by operatives who infiltrated the Otaf settlements last Saturday."
The Israel Defense Forces said it struck and killed a senior member of Hamas's naval force in the Gaza Strip overnight, The Times of Israel reported. According to IDF, Muhammed Abu Shamala was a senior operative in Hamas's naval forces in the southern region of the Gaza Strip.
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