Story summary
At the Green Party's annual conference in Brighton, members voted to adopt a policy equating Zionism with racism by 1,022 votes to 813. The motion defines Zionism as an ideology supporting "an ethnonationalist Jewish State" and calls for the establishment of a single Palestinian state with equal rights for all citizens, including Jewish people. However, critics argue that branding Zionism as racist could alienate practicing Jews and members of synagogues across Britain from joining the party.
Three former party leaders—Caroline Lucas, Adrian Ramsay, and Carla Denyer—warned against adopting such divisive policies, but current leader Zack Polanski missed the vote to campaign in a by-election. The move has alarmed Jewish groups like the Board of Deputies and the Jewish Leadership Council, who fear for the safety and welfare of British Jews if the Green Party adopts what they consider an antisemitic platform.
Despite the controversy, the party maintains that it remains committed to opposing racism in all its forms and continues to advocate for equal rights and justice. The vote has deepened existing divisions within the Green Party, with some leaders urging members to reject the motion before the vote took place. However, the majority of delegates supported the motion, leading to internal debates about how to reconcile these new policies with the party's broader commitments to equality and human rights for all citizens.
Written for “Green Party Zionism Policy” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 29 other(s) covering the same event.
- Published
The chair of Jewish Greens Vivien Lichtenstein has told the BBC it is "quite possible" she will leave the party after Green members adopted a motion declaring Zionism a form of racism.
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Zionism → publish → racism
The motion, which has divided senior party figures, also backs a "single democratic Palestinian state in all of historic Palestine", which includes modern-day Israel.
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which → divide → Israel
It has been criticised by some Jewish groups and Israel's foreign ministry.
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It → criticise → groups
Asked by BBC Radio 4's Today programme about her future, Lichtenstein said: "I haven't decided yet...
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I → ask → future
It is quite possible that I will leave the party...
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I → leave → party
I'm giving it a little time and to talk with colleagues."
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I'm → give → colleagues
Lichtenstein, who is a former chair of her local party, said she had opposed the motion from the first time she heard about it.
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she → say → it
"I don't think it's helpful and it doesn't make any difference whatsoever to Palestinians in Gaza who have suffered devastation, orphans left behind, it doesn't make any difference to Palestinians in the West Bank who are currently suffering, are currently being attacked and killed."
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who → think → Bank
Members of the Green Party of England and Wales endorsed the policy motion, which was put forward by a group of activists at the party's conference in Brighton, by 1,022 votes to 813.
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which → endorse → 813
There are 230,000 members of the Green party overall and not everyone attended the conference.
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everyone → be → conference
The motion, among other statements, "supports the establishment of a single democratic Palestinian State in all of historic Palestine with Jerusalem as its capital, equal rights for all, and the right of return for Palestinians and their descendants".
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motion → support → Palestinians
It defines Zionism as an ideology supporting "an ethnonationalist Jewish state".
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It → define → state
The Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Jewish Leadership Council, which criticised the motion, said "Zionism is anti-racism, creating a refuge for Jews in their ancient homeland after millennia of persecution outside it".
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Zionism → criticise → it
Lichtenstein said she defines herself as "both Zionist and anti-Zionist" depending on the definition, and said a problem with the motion is that there are many definitions.
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problem → say → motion
She said she was not concerned about "people accusing me of supporting Israel's right to exist and therefore I'm a racist, which of course is not the case", but said the "very bad motion...crosses a line".
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motion → say → line
One way in which it did that, she said, was that the proposers said they had consulted some Jews, but did not consult the Jewish Greens, who would have made some amendments to improve the motion.
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who → do → motion
She said there was a "vast range" of opinions among Jewish Greens, some who supported the motion entirely, others who supported aspects, and others who were against it.
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who → say → it
Some Jewish Greens also support one state, she added.
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she → support → state
She said that party policy was that "it's up to Israelis and Palestinians to choose their future - one state or two".
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it → say → future
The UK and 11 allies support a two-state solution, which would recognise a Palestinian state alongside an Israeli one.
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which → support → one
Israel rejects a two-state solution.
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Israel → reject → solution
Her concern with the motion was that the Green Party may accuse UK, Israeli, or Jewish organisations, including those that partner with Palestinians, of racism.
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that → accuse → racism
She said she supports many of these groups working "against the occupation and even go out on the ground to assist Palestinians".
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she → say → Palestinians
She said she knows of some non-Jews who are planning on not staying in the party because "they think the motion crosses a line" and also because of their work, if they might not be able to be associated with a party that has "Zionism is racism" as a policy.
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Zionism → say → policy
Asked whether she believed there were antisemites inside the party, including at senior levels, she said "there are certainly some antisemites in the party, I don't know about at senior level, that is not my experience".
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that → ask → level
The party's leader Zack Polanski, who is himself Jewish, had called for the motion to be amended to add in protections for Jewish members and remove language referring to a "single democratic Palestinian State".
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motion → call → State
Both of these amendments were defeated.
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Both → defeat → amendments
Polanski did not stay at conference to vote on either this or the substantive motion.
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Polanski → stay → this
He left early to campaign in Holborn and St Pancras, where he is standing in a by-election to be the MP.
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he → leave → election
A full list of candidates in the contest can be found here.
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list → find → contest
In response to the motion, Israel's foreign ministry said it had banned Polanski from entering the country.
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it → say → country
A Green spokeswoman insisted the party would protect Jewish members - and they would not be persecuted for attending synagogues which defined themselves as Zionist.
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which → insist → Zionist
Speaking after the vote, Lubna Speitan, the Green member behind the motion, argued its backers wanted to voice opposition to "racist systems of oppression".
"
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backers → speak → oppression
We stand united against all forms of racism and discrimination - no exemptions," she added.
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she → stand → racism
The majority of the party's MPs were against the motion, but the leadership was divided.
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leadership → divide → motion
In her interview on the Today programme on Friday, co-deputy leader Rachel Millward had called the motion "problematic", while her counterpart Mothin Ali told the BBC on Saturday he would support the motion in its original form.
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he → call → form
The Movement for Progressive Judaism, one of the largest and most liberal strands of Judaism in the UK, released a statement condemning the motion, which it said was "antisemitic in its formulation and intention".
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it → release → formulation
Declaring it racist is an attack on Jews," the statement read.
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statement → declare → Jews
Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis also called the motion "poisonous antisemitism, a threat to British Jews and to Britain".
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Mirvis → call → Britain
The Green Party motion said it "rejects attempts" to - among other things - "equate anti-Zionism with antisemitism" and said "we affirm that definitions of anti-Jewish discrimination should not equate Jewish identity with Zionist ideology or political practice".
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definitions → say → ideology
…and 3 more, not listed.
The Aporia
