Zack Polanski on Green Party Motion Declaring Zionism Racism and Political Fallout

According to BBC UK, Zack Polanski has indicated that he will not attempt to overturn a motion adopted by Green Party members that characterized Zionism as a form of racism. The Green leader informed Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg that while he wishes to propose amendments, the motion would remain the party policy until 2028 because, under current rules, decisions made at the party conference remain policy for two years.

The motion, which was passed at the party's conference earlier this month, described Zionism as an ideology that supports an ethnonationalist Jewish state in historic Palestine, to the exclusion or domination of the non-Jewish population. This decision caused division within the party and provoked a substantial negative reaction from government officials, Jewish campaigners, the European Green movement, and MPs, with the equality watchdog also contacting the party seeking further information.

These developments overshadowed the final days of Polanski's campaign in the Holborn and St Pancras by-election, where he finished second to Labour, and created a threat to his leadership. He faced criticism for not casting a vote on the motion, which passed with 1,022 votes to 813—a small fraction of the party's 230,000 members—during a vote in Brighton earlier this month. The motion also asserted the party's support for a single democratic state across historic Palestine, a complete arms embargo on Israel, and a commitment to Palestinian liberation.

When asked if he would step in as leader to reverse the motion, Polanski responded, "I'm not going to try to overturn it." He added that at the earliest possible time, he intends to amend it, aiming to shift the focus from one state toward a situation where Israelis and Palestinians could determine their own future.

Polanski explained that this change could not happen until 2028 because party rules prevent amendments to conference votes within that timeframe. When Kuenssberg inquired whether he would alter the rules as leader, Polanski stated that he respects the democratic will of the members if they have made a decision.

Former Green Party co-leader and current MP Adrian Ramsay urged that action be taken sooner, telling BBC News Channel that continuing with the policy for the next two years presents an untenable situation given the significant political distraction it has caused for councillors nationwide. Ramsay suggested that a ballot of all party members could clarify the party's overall stance, adding that he believed the outcome would be different.

Polanski had previously stated that he would not have voted for the motion without two specific amendments. The first amendment would have prevented the determination of a single democratic state, and the second would have specified that the motion should not be used to discipline Jewish Green members who attend synagogues that identify as Zionist. Both of these proposed amendments were rejected by members at the party's conference.

Green MPs, including Ellie Chowns, have called for a review of the party's member-led decision-making processes, citing the low participation in the vote.

Regarding the question of whether Zionism is racist, Polanski stated that he did not view it as controversial, but instead pointed to the fact that 75,000 Palestinians have been killed in recent years. When asked if he accepted that for many Jewish people, Zionism represented the right to a safe homeland, Polanski, who is Jewish, responded that while that is what people believe it means, in practical application, the homeland has come at the expense of the Palestinian people. He asserted that he desires equal rights for both Israelis and Palestinians, noting that the practical application of Zionism has not achieved that.

When questioned about whether he believed Israel had a right to exist, he stated that he did not believe any state possesses a right to exist under international law. Furthermore, when asked if he would apologize for how he handled the controversy, as requested by Vivien Lichtenstein, the chair of the Jewish Greens, Polanski responded that he was not sorry at all. In response, Phil Rosenberg, president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, accused Polanski of being "all over the place" on the subject. Rosenberg added that the Green Party's platform currently eliminates Jewish identity and experience, calls for Israel's elimination, and suggests that the majority of Jews, who overwhelmingly support Israel's right to exist, are unwelcome in the party.

Polanski maintained that no Jewish Green members would be excluded based on their background or faith, asserting that being Jewish and supporting Israel are "two separate things."

These comments follow a period of criticism from across the political spectrum regarding the motion. Labour has announced it will cease power-sharing arrangements with the Greens on local councils unless its councillors disavow the motion, a move that occurred while Prime Minister Andy Burnham described the motion as "antisemitic." Polanski indicated that it is up to Green councillors to decide what they wish to do.