The Green Party of the United Kingdom voted on Sunday to classify Zionism as a form of racism, provoking backlash from British Jewish communities and the Israeli government, which now regards the party as an organization that legitimizes terrorism, according to reports.
Having garnered 6% of the votes in the 2024 national elections, the party described Zionism as an “ethnonationalist political project” and reiterated its call for the British Labour government to halt all arms transactions with Israel.
The motion also reaffirmed the Green Party’s support for the right to self-determination and called for the establishment of a single democratic state across historic Palestine.
Zionism, which inspired the establishment of modern Israel in the 20th century, remains controversial regarding its implications for the rights of non-Jews in Israel and neighboring territories. Jewish organizations sometimes define it as a right to Jewish self-determination.
The Green Party’s motion passed with a majority of 1,022 votes to 813, despite opposition from many prominent figures. The party’s leader, Zack Polanski, who is running for parliamentary elections in the London constituency previously held by former Prime Minister Keir Starmer, did not cast a vote.
The outcome has been condemned by British Jewish groups. The Movement for Progressive Judaism stated, “The Green Party has turned antisemitism into party policy and has become a racist party,” adding that the support from some Jews for this motion does not mitigate its potential to discriminate against others.
Mothin Ali, the vice-chair of the Green Party and a supporter of the motion, told Sky News on Saturday that the high number of Palestinian casualties in the conflict between Israel and Hamas, particularly following the deadly attack by the Palestinian militant group on an Israeli music festival in 2023, was a crucial context for the vote. “The motion clearly defines Zionism. It defines it as an ethnonationalist movement. It defines it as ethnic cleansing. It defines it as genocide,” Ali stated.
The UK government considers the actions of Israeli settlers in the West Bank equivalent to ethnic cleansing but has stated that courts must determine whether other Israeli actions fall under the category of genocide.
Israel, which rejects allegations of ethnic cleansing and genocide, called on other British political parties to condemn the Green Party’s vote, asserting, “The Greens have adopted not only the green color of Hamas but also its ideology: the elimination of the State of Israel through armed struggle.”
