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Green Party Leader Loses Parliament Seat After 'Zionism is Racism' Vote
Zac Polonsky, the leader of Britain's Green Party, lost a parliamentary by-election in the London constituency of Holborn and St Pancras on Thursday. Polonsky, who is Jewish, was defeated by Labour Party candidate Sagal Abdi-Wali, who won the seat vacated by former Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Abdi-Wali secured 45% of the vote, while Polonsky received 33% in an election that saw a record low turnout of 38.7%.
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What happened
- 01Green Party leader Zac Polonsky lost a London by-election to Labour's Sagal Abdi-Wali after his party passed a resolution labeling Zionism as racism.
- 02Labour candidate Sagal Abdi-Wali won the Holborn and St Pancras seat with 45% of the vote, compared to Polonsky's 33%.
- 03The Green Party resolution called for Zionism to be treated as racism and for Israel to be replaced by a single Palestinian state.
- 04Polonsky, who is Jewish, abstained from voting on the controversial resolution but stated he no longer believes in the Zionist narrative.
- 05The by-election in North London saw a record low turnout of 38.7%, representing a 15.4% drop from 2024.
- 06Despite the electoral defeat and internal party controversy, Polonsky confirmed he will continue to serve as the leader of the Green Party.
- 07Vivian Lichtenstein, the chair of the Jewish Greens, condemned the party's resolution and indicated she may leave the party.
The electoral defeat followed a controversial resolution passed by the Green Party on Sunday, which declared Zionism to be a form of racism and called for Israel to be replaced by a single Palestinian state. The motion passed with 56% of the vote among a small fraction of party members, despite opposition from four of the party's five Members of Parliament. Vivian Lichtenstein, chair of the Jewish Greens, condemned the resolution and indicated she might leave the party.
Polonsky abstained from voting on the resolution. Following his defeat, he addressed the controversy publicly, stating that while he was raised in a Zionist home, his education led him to believe that the current situation constitutes an ongoing expulsion of Palestinians, which he described as racist. Despite the loss and the controversy, Polonsky confirmed he will not resign as leader of the Green Party.
Summarized by baba from the reports of 3 newsrooms. Updated
Latest report: Kikar HaShabbat. Read Kikar HaShabbat’s originalThe coverage
4 newsrooms on this story
Who covered it
- LeftNone
- Centre2
- Right1
- Haredi1
- ArabNone
Not in the Left press
