Story summary
At the Green Party's annual conference in Brighton, members voted 1022 to 813 to adopt a motion equating Zionism with racism. The motion, pushed by Greens for Palestine, defines Zionism as an ideology supporting "an ethnonationalist Jewish State" and calls for a single democratic Palestinian state encompassing all of historic Palestine. Former party leaders like Caroline Lucas criticized the divisive nature of this policy, warning it could alienate Jews within the Green Party. Despite these concerns, current leader Zack Polanski skipped the vote to campaign in a by-election, while some Jewish organizations expressed alarm over what they see as an overtly anti-Semitic stance. The adopted motion also states that Zionism should be treated "as any other form of racism," raising further debate about its implications for Jewish members and the party's commitment to equality and human rights. Despite opposition from within, the policy now stands as formal Green Party doctrine in England and Wales.
Written for “Green Party Zionism Policy” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 26 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The model judged this article politically coded and scored it +0.35, but 1 quote(s) could not be found in the article and the other 1 are attributed speech rather than the article's own narration, so the score is not published.
Written under an earlier scoring contract, which gave a paragraph
rather than checkable quotes. Re-analysing this article replaces it.
Leaning score withheld for article 56879: no verified evidence · logged 2026-10-05
He said the motion passed by the party’s conference was a “threat to British Jews and to Britain”.
asserted
motion → say → Britain
The chief rabbi said he was “appalled” by the motion, claiming the Green Party had resurrected a “discredited and dangerous slander” first promoted by the Soviet Union.
“All decent people will see this for what it is: poisonous antisemitism, a threat to British Jews and to Britain,” he said.
asserted
he → say → Britain
Israel accused the Green Party of legitimising “the destruction of the State of Israel” with a “clear antisemitic text”.
asserted
Israel → accuse → text
Foreign minister Gideon Sa’ar declared that Mr Polanski was now barred from entering Israel.
asserted
Polanski → declare → Israel
“Today, the Green Party in Britain adopted a resolution equating Zionism with racism, legitimising armed struggle against Israel, and calling for the establishment of a Palestinian state “from the river to the sea” – meaning the destruction of the State of Israel,” the Israeli foreign ministry said.
asserted
ministry → adopt → Israel
Members in Brighton on Sunday backed the motion with 1,022 votes in favour and 813 against.
asserted
Members → back → favour
It declares the Greens to be an “anti-Zionist party” and sets into its policy that Zionism, the movement to develop and protect a Jewish state in Israel, will be “treated as any other form of racism”.
It also supports the establishment of a “single democratic Palestinian State in all of historic Palestine with Jerusalem as its capital”.
asserted
Jerusalem → declare → capital
Supporters chanted “say it loud, say it clear, Zionists are not welcome here” as the campaigners behind the motion, Greens for Palestine, gathered to speak to the media.
asserted
campaigners → chant → media
Asked if the new stance meant Zionists would be kicked out of the party, former councillor Salma Yaqoob said “absolutely not”.
asserted
Yaqoob → ask → party
A party spokesman said: “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.
asserted
Party → say → Gaza
Read More
“Those positions remain central to our approach.
asserted
positions → read → approach
So too does our deeply-held commitment to equality, justice and human rights for all, and opposition to racism in all its forms.
asserted
commitment → do → forms
The members voted against adding a clause to make clear the motion should not be used to “pressure, proscribe or discipline” party members for their affiliation to synagogues or other Jewish groups that describe themselves as Zionist.
The Board of Deputies of British Jews said the Greens have become “an extremist party”.
asserted
Greens → vote → Jews
“The motion passed by the Green Party today is an attack on the Jewish community,” a statement said.
asserted
statement → pass → community
The vote has exposed divisions within the party as four of its five MPs – Ellie Chowns, Sian Berry and ex-leaders Adrian Ramsay and Carla Denyer – came out to publicly reject the motion.
asserted
four → expose → motion
Ms Chowns said in a social media post that she was concerned the motion “risks fuelling division and risks undermining the party’s ability to advocate effectively for justice and peace”.
asserted
motion → say → justice
Afterwards, party leader Mr Polanski and the five MPs released a joint statement saying they would “always uphold universal human rights”.
asserted
they → release → rights
“We will never tolerate any form of discrimination or harassment.
asserted
We → tolerate → discrimination
“We will continue to stand in opposition to genocide, ethnic cleansing, apartheid and the illegal occupation.
asserted
We → continue → genocide
“We will continue to call out the heinous crimes of the Netanyahu government.
asserted
We → continue → government
“And we will continue to work to ensure that the Green Party is an anti-racist party in every way.
asserted
Party → continue → way
“We know there is no conflict between supporting the rights of Palestinians and the rights of Jewish people.”
asserted
We → know → people
The position will become party policy, but the Greens do not require all their politicians to back it.
asserted
Greens → become → it
Chair of the Labour Party Bridget Phillipson described the decision as “fundamentally wrong”.
asserted
Phillipson → describe → decision
The Conservatives said it showed the Green Party is “toxic to its core”.
asserted
Party → say → core
The Aporia
