Green Party Adopts Motion Calling Zionism a Form of Racism, Exposing Deep Internal Divisions

Green Party members have voted to adopt a policy motion that characterises Zionism as a form of racism, a decision that has laid bare sharp disagreements among the party's most senior figures and sparked strong reactions from Jewish organisations and the Israeli government. The motion was approved by activists gathered at the party's conference in Brighton, passing by 1,022 votes to 813, according to the BBC.

The proposal, brought forward by a group of rank-and-file members rather than the party leadership, defines Zionism as an ideology that supports what it calls "an ethnonationalist Jewish state." It also expresses backing for "a single democratic Palestinian state in all of historic Palestine," signalling a significant shift in the party's formal position on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

In its text, the motion argues that the "real, material, manifestation of Zionism has been the historic and ongoing dehumanisation, displacement, dispossession, disenfranchisement and destruction of Palestinians." The wording reflects a framework that treats Zionism not merely as a political movement but as a structural system of oppression, a framing that has proven deeply contentious both inside and outside the party.

The vote has dominated proceedings at the three-day conference, overshadowing much of the party's other business and drawing attention to a membership that has expanded rapidly since Zack Polanski became leader in September last year. That growth has brought in newer activists whose views may differ from those of the party's sitting MPs, several of whom were elected at the last general election on more moderate platforms.

The divisions were visible at the very top of the party. Joint deputy leader Mothin Ali voiced support for the motion before the vote, while his fellow deputy leader Rachel Millward described its wording as "problematic." The split among the leadership duo underscored the difficulty the party faces in reconciling its activist base with its parliamentary wing.

Four of the party's five MPs — Ellie Chowns, Adrian Ramsay, Carla Denyer and Sian Berry — had publicly opposed the motion ahead of the vote. Denyer warned that it risked "alienating a significant proportion of Jewish people." Former Green Party leader Caroline Lucas also weighed in during the debate, urging members to reject what she called the "over-simplification at the heart of this motion," adding that it was leading many Jewish members to feel "scared and unwelcome" within the party.

Polanski himself neither spoke against the motion nor participated in the vote, having left the conference early to campaign in Holborn and St Pancras, where he is seeking election as an MP. Asked about the issue on Friday, 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, he also indicated he wanted the reference to a single Palestinian state altered, arguing that the Green Party of England and Wales, or even the British government, should not be determining what a future settlement looks like.

Polanski had additionally sought an amendment specifying that the motion should not be used to discipline Jewish members who attend synagogues identifying as Zionist. Both amendments he favoured were rejected by members, leaving the leadership unable to shape the final text. After the vote, Polanski added his name to a joint statement from the party's five MPs and deputy leaders pledging to ensure the Green Party remains "an anti-racist party in every way" and asserting there is "no conflict between supporting the rights of Palestinians and the rights of Jewish people."

Jewish groups responded with sharp criticism. The Board of Deputies and the Jewish Leadership Council, which had written to the party before the vote, issued a statement calling the motion an "attack on the Jewish community." They described Zionism as "anti-racism, creating a refuge for Jews in their ancient homeland after millennia of persecution outside it." The organisations also warned that labelling most British Jews and Jewish institutions as racist "stokes anti-Jewish hatred," referencing a year in which British Jews have been murdered attending synagogue, stabbed in the streets, and seen community buildings firebombed.

The Israeli government also reacted strongly. Israel's Foreign Ministry said the motion went beyond "the boundaries of legitimate political debate" and constituted "a stain on the history of the United Kingdom." Later on Sunday, it announced that Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar had barred Polanski from entering Israel, a rare diplomatic sanction against a British political leader.

Supporters of the motion defended it as a stand against discrimination. Lubna Speitan, the Green member who brought it forward, said its backers wanted to voice opposition to "racist systems of oppression," adding: "We stand united against all forms of racism and discrimination — no exemptions." Some pro-Israel activists demonstrated outside the conference venue on Saturday, waving Israeli flags alongside Union Jacks, reflecting the intensity of feeling the debate has generated.

Within the party, the fallout may extend beyond the conference hall. Vivien Lichtenstein, chair of Jewish Greens, told the BBC after the vote that she could consider her future in the party, a signal that the decision may prompt some Jewish members to reconsider their affiliation. A Green spokeswoman insisted the party would protect Jewish members and that they would not be persecuted for attending synagogues that define themselves as Zionist.

The motion arrives amid heightened attention to the conflict in Gaza and follows UK sanctions on West Bank settlements that prompted a furious Israeli response in September. It also comes as Polanski campaigns in a by-election, meaning the controversy could shape how voters perceive the party in the coming weeks. Conference debates on Zionism and Gaza featured prominently throughout the gathering, exposing the tension between the party's enlarged membership and its elected representatives.

The vote ultimately leaves the Green Party with a formal policy position that its own MPs largely opposed and that its leader has declined to explicitly endorse. How the party manages that gap — between its activist membership, its parliamentary leadership, and a Jewish community that feels targeted — is likely to define its internal politics for some time.