LONDON — Britain’s Green Party formally adopted a policy declaring “Zionism is racism” after a majority of members voted in favor of a resolution on Sunday.
The motion, which calls for Zionism to be “treated as any other form of racism,” passed by 1,022 votes to 813 at the party’s annual conference in Brighton.
The Greens’ policy calls for Israel to be replaced by a single Palestinian state, a move opposed by the bulk of the party’s MPs and which is expected to face legal challenge.
Israel’s foreign ministry said it has banned Green Party leader Zack Polanski from entering the country, after party members adopted the motion, describing it as a “clear antisemitic text” and beyond “the boundaries of legitimate political debate”.
Polanski did not take part in the vote on Sunday.
The vote makes the motion formal policy for the Green Party in England and Wales.
While opinion among Jewish Green members is split, some have expressed worry that this will mean they could face disciplinary action for belonging to Jewish organizations that officially support Zionism, even synagogues.
In 2024, the Green Party became the first political party in England and Wales to vote to recognize the Israeli government as an “apartheid” state.
The party cited international treaties, including the International Convention on Apartheid of 1973 and the Rome Statute of 1998.
Following the vote, a Green Party spokesperson said: “The motion sets out the Party’s opposition to Zionism, defined as an ethnonationalist political project, and states that anti-Zionism should not be equated with antisemitism.”
“The motion reasserts the Party’s commitment to Palestinian liberation, the right of return, Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS), and a full arms embargo against Israel,” the spokesperson added.
The spokesperson said the Green Party is an “anti-racist party” and reiterated that it has consistently opposed what the party describes as the illegal occupation of Palestinian and Syrian land.
The primary motion, titled “Zionism is racism,” was pushed by a group called Greens for Palestine, The Guardian newspaper reported.
The group encouraged non-party members to join the party to ensure the policy was debated and adopted, according to The Guardian.
The motion argues that Zionism is necessarily racist because it “privileges one ethnic group on the basis of the subjugation of others.”
“This motion is aimed at the political ideology and practice of Zionism, as defined, and not at the religious or ethnic background of those who may identify as Zionists,” it said.
“Not all Jews are Zionists and not all Zionists are Jews,” the motion added.
Source: Saudi Gazette