The Green party voted to define Zionism as racist and endorsed a single Palestinian state in Brighton, England. The motion, which originated from Greens for Palestine, an internal pressure group, passed with 1,022 votes to 813.
The proposal asserts that Zionism is racist because it “privileges one ethnic group on the basis of the subjugation of others.” Furthermore, the motion claims that Zionism rests upon “European settler-colonial systems of domination and oppression” within Israel.
Israeli officials reacted strongly to the outcome; the chief rabbi, Ephraim Mirvis, described the motion as “poisonous antisemitism.” The Israeli foreign ministry also denounced the motion, calling it “a stain on the history of the United Kingdom.”
Vivien Lichtenstein, head of the Jewish Greens, confirmed she is considering leaving the party following the vote. Israel subsequently barred Zack Polanski, the Green party’s Jewish leader, from entering the country.
The group representing European Green parties expressed their dismay regarding the Green party’s decision. Kieran Andrieu, a British Palestinian, characterised the motion as a “unifying motion.”
Carla Denyer voiced concern that the motion diverts focus from essential actions for Palestine. Jonathan Freedland suggested that a mainstream political party adopting this stance effectively labels most British Jews as racists.
