Green Leader Seeks More Control After Party Votes Zionism Is Racism
Zack Polanski has proposed rule changes to give Green Party leaders more control over strategy. He made the case in an article in The Guardian on Sunday, on October 11, 2026, one week after members voted to define Zionism as racism. Al Jazeera
The proposal follows the vote at the party's annual conference on October 4. Members passed a motion saying Zionism — the movement supporting Israel as a Jewish state — is racism. The motion called for Palestinian liberation, the right of return for Palestinian refugees and their descendants, BDS — boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel — and a full arms embargo, or ban on weapons sales to Israel. The adopted policy was described as calling for Israel to be replaced by a single Palestinian state. The Guardian The party posted the decision on its website as 'Green Party adopts anti-Zionist policy'.
Polanski did not vote on the Zionism motion. He said his priority was the Holborn and St Pancras by-election, a special vote to fill an empty Parliament seat. Labour won the seat vacated by former leader Keir Starmer on Friday, beating the Green challenge. Polanski said he would stay on as leader after conceding defeat. Israel barred Polanski from entering the country after his party backed the motion.
The conference vote drew criticism from British Jews and the Israeli government. Reuters Opposition inside the party had been public for months. Jewish Greens officers published a statement in February 2026 urging members to vote against the motion 'Zionism is Racism'. That motion had been scheduled for the Spring 2026 conference. By October, the proposals were listed as Motion E2 'Zionism is Racism' and Motion E3 'Building a Consensus in Support for Palestinian Liberation', according to a Jewish Greens briefing on October 2.
Polanski was elected leader in September 2025, after serving as Deputy Leader from September 2024. Under his leadership the party pushed for legalisation of all drugs and tried to sharpen its economic message. Polanski said the party's message to Rachel Reeves was 'cut bills, tax billionaires', including moving policy costs off household bills. Labour governs nationally under Prime Minister Andy Burnham.
The broader context here is a tension familiar in member-led parties, a bit like a cooperative where shareholders set policy. Conference remains sovereign over policy in the Greens. A leader can set tone and campaign priorities but cannot block motions passed by members. Polanski's request for more control over strategic direction would test how far that model can stretch.
Looking at what this means for the Greens, two pressures now intersect. One is electoral. The Holborn and St Pancras result denied Polanski a Westminster seat widely seen as a test of Green momentum under his leadership. The other is definitional. A party that seeks to present itself as a home for progressive voters must decide how conference positions on Israel and Palestine travel beyond the hall. Critics cited by Reuters see exclusion. Supporters of the motions see consistency on Palestinian liberation, return, boycott and arms policy. The leadership question is whether a rule change can reconcile those audiences without curtailing the internal democracy that distinguishes the party.
