Green Party Members Adopt Motion Linking Zionism to Racism

Green Party members have officially adopted a motion defining Zionism as a form of racism, a decision that has highlighted significant fractures within the party’s senior leadership. The vote took place during the party’s conference in Brighton, where activists supported the policy by a margin of 1,022 to 813.

The adopted motion characterizes Zionism as an ideology supporting an “ethnonationalist Jewish state” and asserts that its practical result has been the “dehumanisation, displacement, dispossession, disenfranchisement and destruction of Palestinians.” Additionally, members voted to commit the party to backing a “single democratic Palestinian State” across all of historic Palestine, rejecting an amendment previously supported by party leader Zack Polanski.

The decision has drawn sharp criticism from major Jewish organizations. In a letter sent ahead of the vote, the Board of Deputies and the Jewish Leadership Council argued that Zionism is an anti-racist movement born from the need for a Jewish refuge after centuries of persecution. They also expressed concerns regarding the safety of Jewish members within the Green Party and the potential impact on Jewish institutions in constituencies represented by Greens.

Party dynamics on the issue have been complex. Deputy leader Mothin Ali backed the motion, describing it as a call for a democratic state guaranteeing rights for all inhabitants, while insisting he was not labeling all Jewish people who identify as Zionists as racist. In contrast, Deputy leader Rachel Millward described the wording as “problematic.” Three of the party’s five MPs—Ellie Chowns, Adrian Ramsay, and Carla Denyer—opposed the motion, with Denyer warning it could alienate a significant portion of the Jewish community.

Party leader Zack Polanski also found himself at odds with the outcome. While he stated he believed the motion’s specific definition of Zionism amounted to racism, he argued that the party or the British government should not dictate the future political settlement of the region. Polanski had proposed amendments to prevent the motion from being used to discipline Jewish members attending synagogues that identify as Zionist, but both were rejected. He did not participate in the final debate, having left early to campaign in his Holborn and St Pancras parliamentary constituency.

Former leader Caroline Lucas told the BBC she feared the motion would be divisive and could create an impression that Jewish people are unwelcome in the party. A Green Party spokeswoman maintained that the organization would protect Jewish members and that they would not face persecution for attending synagogues with Zionist affiliations. Under Green Party rules, motions passed by members become official policy, though they are not automatically included in the manifesto for the next general election.