Green Party Passes Controversial Motion Declaring Zionism a Form of Racism

Green Party members have voted to adopt a policy motion that labels Zionism as a form of racism, a decision that has laid bare deep divisions among the party's senior leadership and sparked strong condemnation from Jewish community organisations.

The motion was approved by a margin of 1022 votes to 813 during the party's conference in Brighton, following an emotional debate that had dominated proceedings over the three-day gathering. It was brought forward by a group of rank-and-file members rather than the party's leadership.

The text defines Zionism as an ideology centred on support for what it describes as "an ethnonationalist Jewish state." It also expresses backing for "a single democratic Palestinian state in all of historic Palestine." In its justification, the motion asserts that the "real, material, manifestation of Zionism has been the historic and ongoing dehumanisation, displacement, dispossession, disenfranchisement and destruction of Palestinians."

The vote has exposed a rift between the party's rapidly expanding grassroots membership, which has grown substantially since Zack Polanski became leader in September last year, and the party's five MPs returned at the most recent general election.

Four of those five MPs — Ellie Chowns, Adrian Ramsay, Carla Denyer and Sian Berry — had publicly voiced opposition to the motion before the vote. Denyer argued that endorsing it risked "alienating a significant proportion of Jewish people." Chowns spoke against the motion during the conference debate itself, as did former Green Party leader Caroline Lucas.

Lucas urged members to reject what she called the "over-simplification at the heart of this motion," warning that a "refusal to accept complexities" was causing many Jewish members to feel "scared and unwelcome" within the party.

The party's joint deputy leaders also found themselves at odds over the issue. Mothin Ali had expressed support for the motion ahead of the vote, describing it as a call for "a state that's democratic" with guaranteed rights. His fellow deputy leader, Rachel Millward, took a different position, characterising the wording of the motion as "problematic."

Polanski himself did not participate in the vote, having left the conference early to campaign in Holborn and St Pancras, where he is contesting a parliamentary seat. Before the vote, he had attempted to distance himself from the more contentious elements of the motion. He said: "If your Zionism is the displacement of the Palestinian people then that is clearly racist, and I say that as a Jewish leader of a British political party."

However, the Green leader also made clear he wanted the reference to a single Palestinian state removed, arguing that neither the Green Party of England and Wales nor even the British government should be determining the shape of a future settlement. He additionally sought an amendment specifying that the motion could not be used to discipline Jewish members who attend synagogues identifying themselves as Zionist. Both amendments favoured by Polanski were rejected by the membership.

After the result was announced, the Board of Deputies and the Jewish Leadership Council — which had written to the party before the vote to express their concerns — issued a joint statement condemning the outcome. They described the motion as an "attack on the Jewish community" and asserted that "Zionism is anti-racism, creating a refuge for Jews in their ancient homeland after millennia of persecution outside it."

The organisations further warned that branding most British Jews and Jewish institutions as racist would "stoke anti-Jewish hatred," pointing to a year in which, they said, British Jews had been murdered attending synagogue, stabbed in the streets, and seen community buildings firebombed.

The statement also singled out Polanski for what it termed "particular criticism," noting that he had neither spoken against the motion nor cast a vote on it. Nevertheless, the groups welcomed what they described as "cross-party condemnation" of the motion from other political quarters.

Reaction also came from abroad. Israel's Foreign Ministry said the motion exceeded "the boundaries of legitimate political debate" and amounted to "a stain on the history of the United Kingdom." Later on Sunday, the ministry announced that Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar had barred Polanski from entering Israel in response to the vote.

Speaking after the result, Lubna Speitan, the Green member who had championed the motion, defended its intent. She said its supporters wanted to express opposition to "racist systems of oppression," adding: "We stand united against all forms of racism and discrimination — no exemptions."

Vivien Lichtenstein, chair of Jewish Greens, told the BBC following the vote that she could consider her future within the party, underscoring the anxiety the debate has generated among Jewish members.

Despite the divisions, Polanski added his name to a joint statement issued after the vote by the party's five MPs and its deputy leaders. The statement committed the Green Party to being "an anti-racist party in every way" and insisted there was "no conflict between supporting the rights of Palestinians and the rights of Jewish people."

A Green spokeswoman also sought to reassure Jewish members, insisting the party would protect them and that they would not face persecution for attending synagogues that define themselves as Zionist. Outside the conference venue on Saturday, pro-Israel activists had demonstrated, waving Israeli flags alongside Union Jacks, as the debate inside continued to draw intense national attention.