Green Party Opens Investigation Into Member Behind Controversial Zionism Motion

The Green Party has confirmed it has launched an internal investigation into one of its members, Lubna Speitan, following revelations that she was named in United States court documents as a "close friend" of a man who was later jailed for supporting al-Qaeda.

The inquiry represents a significant escalation in a controversy that has engulfed the party since its annual conference, where Speitan was the architect of a motion that generated widespread condemnation from opposition politicians and Jewish community organisations.

According to a spokesperson for the party, the investigation is being conducted through its standard internal procedures. "Where members have expressed views that do not fit in with the party's values, we have internal processes to investigate and an investigation is underway," the spokesperson stated. The party also clarified that Speitan holds no formal position within the Green Party beyond her ordinary membership.

The controversy centres on a motion approved by party members at the Green Party conference, which defined Zionism as a form of racism and described it as an ideology supporting "an ethnonationalist Jewish state." The motion further called for the establishment of "a single democratic Palestinian state in all of historic Palestine."

The resolution passed with a margin of 1,022 votes in favour to 813 against, reflecting deep divisions within the party's membership over the sensitive issue. Under the party's rules, motions that receive member support become official party policy, though they are not automatically guaranteed inclusion in the party's general election manifesto.

The motion's passage prompted sharp criticism from rival political parties and several Jewish groups, who characterised it as an attack on the Jewish community. The backlash was not confined to external critics, as four out of five Green Party MPs also voted against the motion, highlighting significant internal discord over the party's direction on this issue.

Adrian Ramsay, a former party leader and the Green MP for Waveney Valley, publicly criticised the motion as an "unhelpful distraction" that was "wrong in principle." He emphasised that the Green Party has historically supported the right to self-determination, arguing that this principle must apply to all peoples without exception.

When questioned on BBC Radio 5 Live about whether he might consider leaving the party over the controversy, Ramsay told presenter Matt Chorley that he was "not ruling anything in or out at this stage." He indicated that his immediate focus was on consulting with colleagues, including Jewish Green members and fellow MPs, to determine how best to restore the party's direction.

The investigation into Speitan gained momentum following a report by the Jewish Chronicle, which revealed the existence of a 2015 letter in which she offered to testify as a defence witness in the trial of Minh Quang Pham. US prosecutors had alleged that Pham was directed by al-Qaeda leader Anwar al-Awlaki to detonate explosives in the arrivals area of Heathrow Airport after receiving several months of training in Yemen.

Pham ultimately pleaded guilty to supporting al-Qaeda and was sentenced to 40 years in prison in the United States. He denied planning a suicide attack. The court documents from 2015 listed Speitan as a "close friend" who could provide what was described as "critical testimony regarding Pham's mental state."

In a subsequent letter addressed to the US District Judge presiding over the case, Speitan expressed that Pham was one of the "few people I regard with such high respect and esteem." She suggested that if the judge had "truly knew the Minh [Pham] that I and others grew to love and respect," the case might have been dismissed entirely.

While acknowledging that Pham "may have had and developed some behavioural issues," Speitan described him as "one of the kindest, honest, most sincere, trustworthy and respectful people I have ever known." The source article notes there is no suggestion in the documents that Speitan was aware of Pham's criminal activities during the period they knew each other.

In response to the emerging reports, Speitan issued a statement on Instagram before the Green Party had publicly confirmed its investigation. She rejected what she described as "all defamatory and nonsense claims made about me" and pushed back against efforts to "decontextualise past statements I have made."

"This is a classic distraction. I am not the conversation," she wrote, before redirecting attention to broader issues. "Racism is. Zionism is. The ethnic cleansing and genocide of Palestinians is. Let's talk about that."

The controversy also intersects with broader international debates. In June, a United Nations commission of inquiry concluded that Israel had deliberately targeted Palestinian children, findings that the commission said amounted to genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes in the Gaza Strip. Israel has consistently denied that its military actions in Gaza constitute genocide, maintaining that they are justified as measures of self-defence.

Speitan, a British-Palestinian artist, has been a visible figure within the party's activist base. Her proposal of the Zionism motion at the conference elevated her profile significantly, making her a focal point for both supporters and critics of the party's stance on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The unfolding situation presents a considerable challenge for the Green Party, which has sought to position itself as a credible political force on a range of issues. The internal investigation, coupled with public disagreements among its MPs, raises questions about party cohesion and the potential electoral implications of the controversy.

The party's handling of the matter will be closely watched, particularly regarding how it balances its commitment to internal democratic processes with the need to address concerns raised by Jewish community groups and its own parliamentarians. The outcome of the investigation into Speitan could set an important precedent for how the party navigates future disputes involving members' past associations and public statements.

For now, the Green Party faces the delicate task of managing internal divisions while attempting to refocus public attention on its core policy priorities, as the fallout from the conference motion continues to reverberate through the party's ranks.