WASHINGTON — A DSA co-chair has sparked renewed controversy after saying the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel was, in her view, largely inevitable. Megan Romer, who serves as co-chair of the Democratic Socialists of America alongside Ashik Siddique, made the remarks in a recent interview and framed the group’s stance on Israel as a firm line within its rising political movement.
Romer said support for “defense or economic support for Israel” is a “solid red line” for the organization. She went further when asked about a DSA-backed rally held against Israel on Oct. 8, 2023, one day after the Hamas assault. “I think the events of October 7 were, in many ways, inevitable,” she said. Romer argued that when people are placed in what she described as an “open-air concentration camp” and denied basic rights, dignity, food, and security, rebellion should be expected. She added that she was not defending harm to civilians.
The Oct. 7 Hamas attack killed about 1,200 Israelis and set off the war in Gaza that continues to shape politics far beyond the Middle East. Romer said she likely would have attended the Oct. 8 rally if she had been living in New York City at the time. She also said the DSA wants a “free Palestine with the capital in Jerusalem,” describing that as a one-state solution. Her comments land at a moment when the DSA has gained traction in several Democratic primaries this cycle, giving both supporters and critics a clearer view of how far the group’s foreign-policy politics go.
During the interview, Romer also acknowledged that Hamas has serious flaws, saying she would not describe it as queer-friendly. But she quickly shifted the focus back to Israel, saying that most queer people killed in Palestine were killed by Israeli bombs. The exchange highlighted how the DSA’s rhetoric often ties the Gaza conflict to broader ideological battles inside the American left.
