MEMBERS of the Green Party of England and Wales have voted for a motion declaring "Zionism is racism".
The motion was passed by 1022 votes in favour to 814 against and caps weeks of debate within Zack Polanski's party.
It commits the Green Party of England and Wales to being an "anti-Zionist party and said that the ideology which brought about the creation of the Jewish state in the Middle East will be treated as any other form of racism”.
It was opposed by some senior figures within the party, with MP Carla Denyer, a former co-leader of the party, coming out against it.
Members backing the motion celebrated their victory at the party's conference in Brighton on Sunday, with supporters chanting: "Say it loud, say it clear: Zionists are not welcome here."
Lubna Speitan, a supporter of the motion, told reporters: "Our Jewish allies have stood here, side-by-side with us Palestinians, as they have in our homeland, alongside us as Muslims, Christians and otherwise and this motion is a unifying one and conference has spoken and indeed we are unified."
The motion could result in Zionist Green members being disciplined for racism under the party's rules. However, its promoters have been clear that the intention of the motion is not about internal party disciplinary procedures.
Green members who spoke with The National in Brighton rejected characterisations of the debate as divisive, saying that people in the room had participated in a grown-up and civilised debate.
Rachel Millward, one of the party’s co-deputy leaders, said: “This was a difficult and respectful debate. There were excellent speakers on both sides. It is a complex, painful and deeply emotional issue. I know that ‘Zionism’ will mean different things to different people (regardless of how it is defined within the motion), so I personally do not think the policy helps us do the work we all want to do.
“But it must not distract us. We remain entirely united – whatever our background, however we voted – to do everything in our power to stop the genocide and end the illegal and racist actions of Netanyahu's government. We also all agree that antisemitism has no place in this party, or in society.”
The party’s five MPs, four of whom had spoken out against the motion, issued a joint statement, which was also signed by the leader and co-deputy leaders, on Sunday reacting to its passage.
They said: “As Green MPs, we will always uphold universal human rights. We will never tolerate any form of discrimination or harassment. We will continue to stand in opposition to genocide, ethnic cleansing, apartheid and the illegal occupation.
"We will continue to call out the heinous crimes of the Netanyahu government. And we will continue to work to ensure that the Green Party is an anti-racist party in every way. We know there is no conflict between supporting the rights of Palestinians and the rights of Jewish people."
It also noted that the Zionist project, which created the state of Israel, resulted in the dispossession of Palestinians from their land, a sentiment backed by Polanski on Friday.
In an interview, the Green leader said: "Well, in the motion, it is defined as the displacement and genocide of the Palestinian people. I think that is clearly racism.
“I don’t think anyone could argue with that and, as I’ve said, we’ve seen so many innocent people die.”
The Green leader was then pressed on whether that made the majority of British Jews – who define themselves as Zionists – racist.
Polanski told the BBC: “I think it’s about how you define Zionism, and if your Zionism is the displacement of the Palestinian people, then that’s clearly racist, and I say that as a Jewish leader of a political party.
“What my focus is on, though, is what materially can we do to make a difference, and that’s stop selling arms to Israel, stop sharing intelligence, and boycott, divestment, sanctions.”
In his speech at the Green Party conference in Brighton on Friday, Polanski claimed the Greens had pushed the Labour Government towards more progressive policies on a host of issues, and urged it to de-proscribe Palestine Action as a terrorist group.
Chants of “Free, free Palestine” could be heard from some Green members in the hall, who were wearing Palestinian keffiyeh scarves around their necks or across their shoulders.
Caroline Lucas, who became the Green Party’s first MP in 2010, earlier said she would not be supporting the motion, and told the BBC there was “a real risk that it will be divisive and could be seen as a sign that Jewish people aren’t welcome in the party”.
Adrian Ramsay, a former Green co-leader, also voiced concerns about the motion to the Times newspaper.
Polanski used his headline speech at the conference to claim his party’s growing national voice had made a difference to Labour’s political direction.
“Vote Green and watch Labour move,” he told members.
The Green leader is standing in the Holborn and St Pancras parliamentary by-election, with the aim of winning the seat previously held by former prime minister Sir Keir Starmer from Labour for the first time in its electoral history.
A Green Party spokesperson said: “This has been a serious and deeply felt debate within our membership. Our members value the ability to bring forward and decide party policy, and conference has now made its decision.
“The Green Party is an anti-racist party and has consistently opposed the illegal occupation of both Palestinian and Syrian land, called for an end to arms sales to the Israeli government and spoken out fearlessly about the devastating situation in Gaza and the West Bank.
“Those positions remain central to our approach. So too does our deeply-held commitment to equality, justice and human rights for all, and opposition to racism in all its forms.”
