UK Greens vote to define Zionism as racism in divisive conference motion

Britain’s Green Party has voted to define Zionism as racism, adopting a policy that has drawn criticism from Jewish organisations and Israel’s government. The motion passed at the party’s annual meeting by 1,022 votes to 813. It says Zionism should be treated like any other form of racism and endorses the creation of a single democratic Palestinian state across historic Palestine.

The Greens have five MPs in Britain’s 650-seat Parliament and have gained support in recent local and special elections. The party’s growing profile has attracted voters unhappy with the governing Labour Party’s position on the Israel-Gaza war. Three Jewish organisations—the Board of Deputies, the Community Security Trust and the Jewish Leadership Council—warned before the vote that the proposal appeared to establish an antisemitic political platform.

They also raised concerns about the safety and welfare of British Jews. Israel’s foreign ministry said the policy exceeded the limits of legitimate political debate. It called on British political parties, including Labour, to reject the resolution.

The vote exposed divisions within the Green Party. At least three of its five MPs opposed the motion, while party leader Zack Polanski did not attend the vote. Polanski is running to become an MP in former prime minister Keir Starmer’s London constituency.

Before the meeting, Polanski said the displacement and genocide of Palestinians was clearly racism. United Nations investigators have accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, a finding rejected by Israel. A Green spokesperson said the debate had been serious and deeply felt within the membership.

The vote comes as the party seeks to build on its recent electoral gains, although polling cited in the source material indicates that Polanski’s popularity has fallen after several missteps.