Israel Calls Green Zionism Ruling ‘Stain on History of UK’ - Newsweek

Israel has condemned the British Green Party's declaration that Zionism is a form of racism, calling it a "stain on the history of the United Kingdom" and calling on political leaders in the country to "unequivocally reject this twisted resolution."

The Green Party of England and Wales backed a motion about Zionism at its conference in Brighton on Sunday. It has defined Zionism as an ideology supporting "an ethnonationalist Jewish state" and backed a "single democratic Palestinian state in all of historic Palestine."

"The real, material, manifestation of Zionism has been the historic and ongoing dehumanisation, displacement, dispossession, disenfranchisement and destruction of Palestinians," the motion says.

The motion was passed by 1,022 votes to 813, indicating the division within the party on this subject.

Newsweek reached out to the Green Party and the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs via email on Monday.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the state of Israel responded in a post on X, saying the party had "ceased to act as a political party and became a body that gives legitimacy to terrorism."

The statement added: "The Greens have adopted not only the green of Hamas, but also its ideology: the elimination of the State of Israel through armed struggle. The shocking resolution adopted today legitimises armed struggle, calls for a Palestinian state 'from the river to the sea' - meaning the destruction of the State of Israel - and labels as 'racist' the aspiration of the Jewish people for self-determination.

"This goes far beyond the boundaries of legitimate political debate. As long as this resolution remains in place, it will stand as a stain on the history of the United Kingdom. Every political party in Britain, first and foremost the governing Labour Party, must unequivocally reject this twisted resolution."

Despite the Green Party not being in power, it has demonstrated growing electoral influence in the UK, meaning its anti-Zionist position matters globally.

The motion said “that anti-Zionism should not be equated with anti-Semitism” and “reasserts the Party’s commitment to Palestinian liberation, the right of return, Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS), and a full arms embargo against Israel.”

A spokesperson for the party said in a statement that the topic has been a “serious and deeply felt debate within our membership.”

“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,” they said. “Those positions remain central to our approach. So too does our deeply held commitment to equality, justice and human rights for all and opposition to racism in all its forms.”

The party’s leadership was divided on the motion - deputy leader Mothin Ali supported it but its leader Zack Polanski and its other deputy leader Rachel Millward called for parts of it to be amended, including the one-state solution commitment.

In an update on Sunday night, Israel’s foreign minister Gideon Sa’ar banned Polanski from entering Israel, saying it "constitutes a clear anti-Semitic text according to the IHRA definition, as it denies the Jewish people’s right to self-determination”.

The Green Party responded in a statement to multiple media outlets that it would "not be bullied into silence by the Israeli government."

"We are proud that Zack and our party are standing up for Palestinian rights and demanding an end to British complicity in genocide and apartheid," they added.

Israel-Palestine has been at the center of the Green Party's campaign for some time now, especially in its challenge to the UK's current Labour Party government.

Sunday's motion comes just a few days before Holborn and St Pancras' parliamentary by-election on October 8, which Polanski is trying to win - a seat vacated by former Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

In July, YouGov research looking into why people were defecting from the Labour Party found that the war in Gaza played a significant role for those leaving the party for the Greens.

Some 36 percent of defectors now support the Greens, compared with 32 percent who now back the right-wing party Reform UK.

Out of those who moved over to the Greens, 44 percent said Labour had become too right-wing and 23 percent said they were concerned about Labour's stance on Gaza.

The Labour Party is struggling with disaffected voters, with many defecting to the Green Party, giving its positions on global issues more power.

YouGov analysis from the beginning of this year showed that just 38 percent of 2024 Labour voters still supported the party, with 15 percent switching to the Greens. Others defected to the right-wing Reform UK, whose influence is also growing.

The Green Party came out as the lead party among under 30s, holding 37 percent of the vote among 18-24-year-olds.

Polling results for their backing has since fluctuated with a more recent September poll, putting overall general election support for the Green Party at 11 percent, three points down from the one before, but their rise has demonstrated an ability to attract new voters beyond their traditional environmental base, especially with their stance on Gaza.

The Green Party is the only one to go against the UK’s longstanding support for a two-state solution.

Earlier this month, the British government, along with other European allies, issued a statement reiterating its support for this but adding: “We recognize Israel’s legitimate security interests and reiterate our condemnation of the Hamas 7 October terrorist attack, the worst anti-Semitic massacre since the Holocaust.”

But, in another illustration of British politics clashing with Israel, this statement was part of an announcement to sanction illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank, accusing the Israeli government of “undermining the possibility of a two-State solution.”

Israel responded by closing the UK's consulate in East Jerusalem. “We know that we have many friends in Britain,” Sa'ar said. "Unfortunately, we have a hostile Labour government that is consistently operating against the State of Israel, and it has left us no choice but to respond to its hostile actions."

Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Ben Kelly and Cristina Diciu.