Alex Soros, son of George Soros and chair of the Open Society Foundations, has voiced his criticism of the left-wing climate group Sunrise Movement, stating, "All they do is talk about Palestine." In an interview with New York Magazine, Alex Soros detailed his plans to counter the Trump administration's agenda and expressed his frustration with Sunrise Movement, an organization heavily funded by Soros-backed entities. He questioned the group's activities, saying, "What the hell did they do, by the way? We gave them money, and now all they do is talk about Palestine. It’s ridiculous."

During the 2020 election season, Sunrise Movement, which aims to end the era of fossil fuel elites, received approximately one-third of its funding from the Soros-backed Democracy PAC and Sixteen-Thirty Fund, totaling $750,000. Following this funding, the group faced controversy when its Washington, D.C., chapter posted an antisemitic statement vowing to boycott events co-sponsored by "Zionist" Jewish groups. In October 2021, Sunrise DC stated it would not participate in a D.C. statehood rally due to the inclusion of the Jewish Council on Public Affairs, the National Council of Jewish Women, and the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, claiming these groups are aligned with Zionism and the State of Israel.

Sunrise DC described Israel as a "colonial project" that treats Palestinians and Black and brown Jewish-Israelis as second-class citizens, urging organizers to exclude the Jewish groups from the event, asserting that the D.C. statehood movement is incompatible with Zionism. This statement was widely condemned as antisemitic. Jewish podcaster Blake Flayton accused the group of intentionally pushing Jewish people out of their movement and associating Jews in the United States with Israel's actions, labeling it as antisemitic.

In a subsequent post, Sunrise DC apologized for singling out the three Jewish organizations but maintained its stance against Zionism, describing it as an ideology that has led to the violent displacement of Palestinians since 1948. The group stated its commitment to learning and growing while opposing Zionism, antisemitism, anti-Palestinian racism, and other forms of oppression. This post was also criticized as antisemitic, with commentators noting that the apology seemed to reinforce their stance against anyone who does not hate Israel.

This past October, Sunrise Movement published an Instagram post asserting that "Climate justice means freedom for Palestinians," arguing that Israel's oppression of Palestinians leads to devastating impacts of climate change and that Israel's bombing harms the climate. The post also claimed that the Israeli military, backed and armed by the U.S., has released more carbon emissions than 20 of the world’s most climate-vulnerable nations combined while committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.

The Soros family's funding of progressive anti-Israel groups, including those involved in mobilizations at Columbia University, has drawn scrutiny. Israel's minister of diaspora affairs and social equality, Amichai Chikli, suggested that Alex Soros mirrors his father’s anti-Israel agenda. Chikli noted that the Soros foundation funds radical Palestinian organizations in Israel that describe the country as a colonial state and a moral sin. Neither Open Society Foundations nor Sunrise Movement responded to requests for comment.