UK Green Party adopt motion defining Zionism as racism

Britain's Green Party adopted a motion on Sunday, Oct. 4, that defines Zionism as a form of racism and commits the party to a single Palestinian state. Members at the party's conference in Brighton backed it by 1,022 votes to 813, or about 56%, the BBC reported. Critics say the wording would in effect mean the end of Israel as a Jewish state.ynetnews+1

The motion defines Zionism as an ideology supporting "an ethnonationalist Jewish state." It backs a "single democratic Palestinian state in all of historic Palestine." Members also rejected two amendments favored by party leader Zack Polanski. According to The Times, the position now becomes official party policy. The BBC noted that under party rules, adopted motions do not automatically go into the manifesto for the next general election.bbc+1

Divided leadership

Polanski is Jewish and calls himself anti-Zionist. He had said he would abstain, and he did not cast a vote. The Telegraph reported that he missed the vote to campaign in the Holborn and St Pancras by-election. He told the BBC he wanted the motion amended because of the single-state language. "What I want to see is equal rights for Israelis and Palestinians," he said, adding that neither the party nor the British government "should determine what a future settlement looks like".thetimes+2

Deputy leader Mothin Ali backed the motion "absolutely," the BBC reported. He said anyone who supports ethno-nationalism "believes in a racist ideology".ynetnews

Three former party leaders opposed the motion: Caroline Lucas, Adrian Ramsay and Carla Denyer. Lucas warned it could look like a signal that Jews were not welcome in the party. Denyer said it could "set us back" in efforts to support Palestinians.ynetnews

Wider demands and reaction

According to Novara Media, the motion also calls for freedom for Palestinian political prisoners, opposes the ban on Palestine Action, and affirms Palestinians' right to resistance. Members also voted down an amendment meant to protect Jewish members linked to Zionist institutions from being targeted. Ynet reported that the motion also calls for boycotts and sanctions modeled on those imposed on apartheid-era South Africa.novaramedia+1

Haaretz reported that party leaders and Jewish members had warned the measure could alienate Jewish supporters. The Telegraph reported fury from campaigners against antisemitism. Protesters for both sides gathered outside the venue, and organizers set aside a "safe room" for Jewish members. One Jewish member called the situation "disturbing and deeply upsetting, but this is the reality".ynetnews+2

The vote comes as the Greens, once a fringe party, sit fourth or fifth in several recent national polls. British media say the motion makes them the first mainstream party in the UK to explicitly call itself anti-Zionist.novaramedia+1