UK Green Party Adopts Anti-Zionist Stance, Alienating Jewish Members

The UK's Green Party has passed a resolution declaring Zionism to be racism and calling for the elimination of Israel, a move that has deeply divided the party and caused significant distress among its Jewish members. Alice Benjamin, a former Mayor of Oxford and long-time party member, described the vote as alienating, stating that "they voted, passed it, and simply left the room." She recounted how anti-Zionist groups subsequently leaked personal details of party members, including herself and others who support Israel's right to exist alongside a Palestinian state. Benjamin expressed fear for her safety, noting that some Jewish members have had their names published by an antisemitic conspiracy theorist. She believes the party has been "taken over by the far-left" and has become obsessed with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which now dominates discussions more than any other issue.

The resolution, passed with 1,022 votes to 813, calls for a single Palestinian state in all of historic Palestine. Amendments aimed at protecting Jewish members from disciplinary action for belonging to Zionist Jewish communities were rejected. The party's leader, Zac , who has declared himself anti-Zionist, abstained from the vote. Benjamin recalled a shift in the party's tone since October 7th, moving from an initial condemnation of Hamas and call for hostage release to increasing hostility towards Israel and its supporters.

Pro-Palestinian factions, including a group called Greens for Palestine, have reportedly grown significantly within the party, allegedly numbering in the hundreds. Benjamin witnessed chants at the conference such as "Palestine will be Arab" and "Free Palestine," which she found deeply disturbing. She stated that Jewish members are being accused of being anti-Muslim if they do not unequivocally condemn Israel, effectively being presented as hostile elements.

Despite the turmoil, Benjamin intends to remain in the party, asserting, "I will stay in the party because it is mine, not theirs." In response to the resolution, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar declared a persona non grata and banned him from entering Israel. The Foreign Ministry stated that the Green Party had "officially adopted the Hamas green color and its ideological doctrine, which calls for the elimination of the State of Israel through armed struggle."

British Jewish community organizations strongly condemned the resolution. The Board of Deputies and the Jewish Leadership Council stated that branding the majority of British Jews as racist fuels antisemitism, citing recent attacks on Jews in Britain. They urged civil society to view the Greens as "what they have become: an extremist party with a platform of anti-Jewish racism." The Labour Party also denounced the vote, with Bridget Phillipson calling it "shameful" and a violation of the two-state solution. Four of the party's five Members of Parliament publicly opposed the resolution, with Adrian Ramsay expressing deep sadness. Vivien Lichtenstein, Chair of Green , indicated she might reconsider her future in the party.