Israeli flags from a pro-Israel rally outside Green party conference venue in Brighton on Sunday. Photograph: Gary Roberts/Sopa Images/ShutterstockView image in fullscreenIsraeli flags from a pro-Israel rally outside Green party conference venue in Brighton on Sunday. Photograph: Gary Roberts/Sopa Images/Shutterstock Green party votes to adopt policy that equates Zionism with racismMotion that has alarmed some Jewish members is passed by 1,022 votes to 813 at party’s annual conference in Brighton UK politics live – latest updates The Greens have formally adopted a policy which equates Zionism with racism, a move that will dismay the bulk of the party’s MPs and that has alarmed some Jewish members.A vote at the party’s annual conference on Brighton about whether to back a motion which calls for Zionism, the movement for a Jewish state, to be “treated as any other form of racism”, saw it passed by 1,022 votes to 813.The motion, which is now formal policy for the Greens in England and Wales, also calls for a single Palestinian state in place of Israel “with equal rights for all”.In earlier voting, an amendment ensuring other parts of Green policy are updated to take account of the motion was backed. However, three other amendments, including one which said the motion should not be used to “pressure, proscribe or discipline members based on affiliation with Jewish community institutions”, were voted down.The motion, titled “Zionism is racism”, has been pushed by a group called Greens for Palestine, who encouraged non-party members to sign up to the party to make sure the policy was debate and then adopted.The motion argues that Zionism is necessarily racist as it “privileges one ethnic group on the basis of the subjugation of others”.It adds: “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.
Not all Jews are Zionists and not all Zionists are Jews…“Zionism, as defined above, will be treated as any other form of racism, and this motion will be implemented by the Anti-Racism Policy Working Group as appropriate and in accordance with its ordinary practice.”Some Jewish Greens have said privately that they are worried the policy could make it diffucult for them to remain in the party.A poll by the group Jewish Greens found a split of its membership over whether to oppose the motion, while 81% said they did not identify as Zionist. The group is expected to only comment publicly on the vote after consulting members.There is considerable disquiet among some senior Greens who feel, Zack Polanski, the party leader, who is Jewish, could have taken a stronger stance on the issue.Polanski, who missed the vote to campaign in Holborn and St Pancras, where he is standing in a parliamentary byelection next week, has justified the motion’s argument by noting the extent of the death toll in Gaza during Israel’s assault on the territory.Asked on Saturday if he believed Zionism is racist, Polanski told the BBC: “Well, in the motion, it is defined as the displacement and genocide of the Palestinian people. I think that is clearly racism.”skip past newsletter promotionafter newsletter promotionFour of the party’s five MPs have condemned the motion, as did Caroline Lucas, the former leader who was the Greens’ first MP.Adrian Ramsay, who co-led the Greens before Polanski, said in a statement that he would vote against it as it set out what sort of Palestinian state should exist, without taking into account the self-determination of Israelis and Palestinians. Sian Berry, another of the MPs, made the same point.Carla Denyer, an MP who was co-leader with Ramsay, said the wording also “risks alienating a significant proportion of Jewish people, including those who vehemently disagree with the Israeli government”.Another MP, Ellie Chowns, said the motion “risks fuelling division, and risks undermining the Party’s ability to advocate effectively for justice and peace”.She said in a statement: “Zionism is a contested concept with no single definition.
If this motion passes, the party risks alienating many people, including in Jewish communities. Defining a highly personal and variable identity simply as racism risks reinforcing exactly the zero-sum politics we desperately need to get beyond.”Explore more on these topicsGreen partyJudaismRacenewsShareReuse this content
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