Green Party Suffers Electoral Blow After Zionism Resolution
Translated & summarized from Israel Hayom by baba
The British Green Party lost a by-election in North London a week after passing a resolution labeling Zionism as racism. Party leader Zac Polonsky received 33% of the vote, losing to Labour's Sagal Abdi-Wali with 45%. The low turnout of 38.7% was the lowest for a by-election in the current session. Polonsky stated he would continue as leader despite the loss and the controversy surrounding the resolution.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Green Party leader Zac Polonsky lost a London by-election after his party passed a resolution calling Zionism a form of racism.
- Polonsky secured 33% of the vote in Holborn and St Pancras, losing to Labour's Sagal Abdi-Wali with 45%.
- The Green Party's resolution calls for Zionism to be treated like racism and for Israel to be replaced by a Palestinian state.
- The by-election saw a record low turnout of 38.7%, down 15.4% from 2024.
- Polonsky stated he would continue as Green Party leader despite the electoral defeat and the controversy.
- Vivian Lichtenstein, chair of the Jewish Greens, condemned the resolution and may leave the party.
The British Green Party experienced a significant defeat in a by-election in Holborn and St Pancras, North London, just one week after party members passed a resolution classifying Zionism as a form of racism. The party's leader, Zac Polonsky, who abstained on the resolution and campaigned in the constituency, secured 33% of the vote, trailing behind Labour candidate Sagal Abdi-Wali, who garnered 45%. The election was triggered by the resignation of former Prime Minister Keir Starmer and was seen as a contest for the leadership of the British left between Labour and the Greens.
The voter turnout was a record low for a by-election in the current parliamentary session, at 38.7%, a decrease of 15.4% from 2024. The controversial Green Party resolution, passed on Sunday, stated that Zionism, the movement for the establishment of a Jewish state, should be treated "like any other form of racism" and called for the replacement of Israel with a single Palestinian state. This resolution passed despite opposition from four out of the five Green Party Members of Parliament.
Vivian Lichtenstein, chair of the Jewish Greens, condemned the decision, suggesting she might leave the party, though some Jewish members supported it. Former Green Party leader Caroline Lucas declined to say whether Polonsky should resign, instead stating she wanted him to "show the leadership that was missing on Sunday." Polonsky himself affirmed his intention to continue as leader, acknowledging the loss but emphasizing the party's broader reach. He stated that while he grew up with the idea of "a land without a people for a people without a land," his studies led him to believe this is untrue. Polonsky further described the ongoing situation as "ongoing genocide and ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people" and called it "clearly racist."
The Labour victory is a relief for Prime Minister Andy Burnham, marking his first major electoral test and bolstering poll numbers. However, the low turnout indicates Burnham still faces challenges in urban areas, particularly London, where the Greens had previously gained control of three councils in May's local elections.
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