UK Green Party Adopts Resolution Calling Zionism Racism

The UK's Green Party officially adopted a resolution on Sunday declaring "Zionism is racism" at their annual conference in Brighton. The motion passed with 1,022 votes in favor and 813 against, amidst significant backlash from anti-antisemitism organizations and pro-Israel activists who protested outside the venue. Following the decision, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar announced that party leader Zac Polonsky would be barred from entering Israel.

The resolution also calls for the "destruction of the State of Israel" and the "establishment of a democratic Palestinian state in all of historic Palestine, with Jerusalem as its capital." It further endorses the Palestinian right to resist and be liberated from the Israeli occupation, alongside recognizing the right of oppressed colonial peoples to self-defense.

Reactions within the party were divided. Former leader Caroline Lucas described the move as "divisive," while deputy leader Rachel Mervyn called it "problematic." Lubna Spaytan, who initiated the resolution, argued during the discussions that defining Zionism as racism was not a theoretical debate or a distraction from Palestinian deaths, stating, "We Palestinians did not persecute Jews, but we were forced to pay the price for crimes we did not commit."

The party leadership issued a statement asserting that the decision stemmed from a "serious and deep discussion" among members. They reiterated the party's anti-racist stance, opposition to the occupation, calls to halt arms sales to Israel, and concern over the situation in Gaza and the West Bank.

Party leader Zac Polonsky did not participate in the debate due to his involvement in a local election campaign, a decision that drew criticism from across the political spectrum. The Israeli Foreign Ministry condemned the resolution, stating the Green Party had become a "terror-supporting body" and had adopted Hamas's ideology. The ministry called the resolution "appalling" and a "stain on the history of the United Kingdom," urging all British parties, especially the ruling Labour Party, to disavow it.