Greens Adopt 'Zionism Is Racism' Policy as MPs Break Ranks
The Green Party in England and Wales voted on Sunday to adopt as formal policy that Zionism is racism, passing the motion by 1,022 votes to 813 at its annual conference in Brighton. The Guardian
The vote makes "Zionism is racism" binding party policy, like an entry in the rulebook members are expected to follow. Zionism, the political movement supporting Israel as a Jewish state, is to be "treated as any other form of racism." The text also calls for a single Palestinian state in place of Israel "with equal rights for all," meaning one shared state rather than separate Israeli and Palestinian states.
The motion argues that Zionism "privileges one ethnic group on the basis of the subjugation of others." It says its target is the political ideology and practice of Zionism, not the religious or ethnic background of people who identify as Zionists. Implementation is left to the anti-racism policy working group, the internal team that applies racism rules, to act as appropriate and in line with ordinary practice.
The proposal was pushed by Greens for Palestine, which had encouraged non-party members to join the party to ensure the policy was debated and adopted. Delegates also backed an amendment to update other parts of Green policy to take account of the motion. They voted down three other amendments, including one stating the motion should not be used to "pressure, proscribe or discipline members based on affiliation with Jewish community institutions."
Leader Zack Polanski missed the vote. He was campaigning in Holborn and St Pancras, where he is standing in a parliamentary byelection next week, a special vote to fill a seat. Asked by the BBC on Saturday if he believed Zionism was racist, Polanski said the motion defines it as displacement and genocide of the Palestinian people, which he called clearly racism. In that pre-vote interview he also said whether Zionism is racism would depend on how the term was defined. BBC
He has separately argued the Greens can move Labour in the right direction. Four of the party's five MPs condemned the motion. Former leader Caroline Lucas also condemned it. Adrian Ramsay said he would vote against the motion because it set out what sort of Palestinian state should exist without taking into account self-determination of Israelis and Palestinians, their right to decide their own political future. MP Carla Denyer said the motion's wording "risks alienating a significant proportion of Jewish people, including those who vehemently disagree with the Israeli government."
The Jewish Greens, a Jewish group within the party, remain split on the motion. The Jerusalem Post A poll by Jewish Greens found 81% of its members said they did not identify as Zionist. The group hosts an interim briefing on the motion on its website. Pro-Israel campaigners gathered outside the conference centre in Brighton during the vote. The Telegraph
The broader context here is party management as much as Middle East policy. A conference majority has now committed the party to a firm definition, a single-state prescription, and an anti-racism enforcement process. The parliamentary leadership largely opposed it. That gap leaves unresolved questions about discipline, candidacy, and how affiliation with mainstream Jewish institutions will be handled after delegates rejected explicit protection on that point.
Looking at what this means for the Greens' electoral pitch, the timing sharpens the tension. A leader seeking to pull Labour voters in a London byelection must defend a policy his MPs say alienates potential allies. Whether the anti-racism working group narrows or widens the application will determine if this stays as declaratory language or becomes an active test for membership.
