Green Party Motion on Zionism Sparks Controversy; Speitan's Past Ties to Al-Qaeda Figure Emerge

According to the BBC UK, Lubna Speitan, a British-Palestinian artist, put forward a motion at the Green conference that characterized Zionism as an ideology that supports an ethnonationalist Jewish state. This motion, which was adopted as party policy on Sunday, called for a single democratic Palestinian state encompassing all of historic Palestine, including contemporary Israel. In response to the motion, Israel prohibited Green leader Zack Polanski from entering the country, while some Jewish groups characterized the proposal as an attack on their community, and certain Labour and Lib Dem MPs reported the party to Great Britain's equality watchdog. Speitan contended that the proponents of the motion intended to voice opposition to what she described as racist systems of oppression.

It was revealed that Speitan had written a letter in 2016 to the New York judge presiding over the Pham case, in which she described him as one of the kindest, most sincere, and most honest individuals she had ever known. The existence of this correspondence was initially reported by the Jewish Chronicle, and BBC News has seen it.

Minh Quang Pham, a British national of Vietnamese origin who resided in London, was arrested at Heathrow Airport in July 2011 after spending seven months in Yemen and was found in possession of a live round of ammunition. In 2015, he was extradited to the United States and subsequently sentenced to 40 years in prison in 2016 after pleading guilty to three counts related to his support for al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), an offshoot of al-Qaeda. US prosecutors stated that Pham was directed by al-Qaeda leader Anwar al-Awlaki to detonate explosives in the arrivals area of Heathrow after training under him in Yemen for several months.

US court documents from 2015 listed Speitan as a "close friend" of Pham, noting that she was expected to provide "critical testimony regarding Pham's mental state." The documents indicated this testimony would be "crucial in establishing a mental health defense," which would "bears on the issue of guilt." The documents further mentioned that Speitan had a medical condition that prevented her from giving evidence in person.

In a subsequent letter to the US District Judge, Speitan stated that Pham was among the "few people I regard with such high respect and esteem." She suggested that if the judge had truly known Minh Pham and others who cared for and respected him, the entire case might have been dismissed. While acknowledging that Pham "may have had and developed some behavioural issues," she added that he turned out to be one of the most trustworthy, respectful, honest, sincere, and kind people she had ever known. The documents do not suggest that Speitan was aware of Pham's criminal activities when they were acquainted.

Speitan has not responded to a request for comment from the BBC. The Telegraph reported that when asked if she maintained friendship with Pham, she confirmed that the friendship continued, and she reportedly stated her belief that Pham had been "targeted" by "the system."

These events occurred as Green leader Polanski was dealing with internal divisions among party members, MPs, and deputy leaders regarding the motion. A Green Party spokesperson stated that the party has internal procedures to investigate when members express views that do not align with the party's values.

Following the motion's passage, some Green councillors have resigned. On Tuesday, Phil Davies, the Green deputy leader in Wales, resigned and withdrew his membership, describing the motion as "the final nail in the coffin." Polanski issued a statement on Monday night asserting that he would not allow anyone to be excluded from the party based on the religious or communal group they belong to, and the Jewish party leader added that antisemitism and criticism of the Israeli state must always be treated as completely separate matters.