Britain's Green Party has ignited a fierce national debate after members voted to formally declare “Zionism is racism” at their annual conference in Brighton on October 4, 2026. The motion, which passed by a margin of 1,022 to 813, marks a watershed moment for the party and for British politics, making the Greens the first electorally significant UK party in living memory to adopt such a position, according to multiple sources including The Guardian, i24NEWS, and the Independent.
The motion, spearheaded by the Greens for Palestine group, called for Zionism to be “treated as any other form of racism.” It reaffirmed the party’s commitment to Palestinian liberation, the right of return for refugees, Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) against Israel, and a full arms embargo. The policy also supports the establishment of a “single democratic Palestinian State in all of historic Palestine,” with equal rights for all and Jerusalem as its capital, as reported by i24NEWS and the Independent.
The debate leading up to the vote was heated and deeply divisive, both within the party and across the broader UK political landscape. The motion’s language, which defines Zionism as “an ethnonationalist political project,” was intended to target the political ideology rather than the religious or ethnic identity of Jews. The motion explicitly stated, “Not all Jews are Zionists and not all Zionists are Jews.” A Green Party spokesperson emphasized, “The motion sets out the Party’s opposition to Zionism, defined as an ethnonationalist political project, and states that anti-Zionism should not be equated with antisemitism.”
Despite these caveats, the motion drew sharp criticism from Jewish community organizations and the Israeli government. In a letter sent to the party ahead of the vote, the heads of the Board of Deputies, Community Security Trust, and Jewish Leadership Council warned, “We also emphasised the implications for the safety and welfare of all British Jews, and our belief that this motion would make the Green Party the first electorally significant UK political party in living memory to adopt what appears to be an overtly antisemitic political platform.”
Israel’s Foreign Ministry issued a strongly worded condemnation, stating the policy went “far beyond the boundaries of legitimate political debate.” The ministry called on all UK political parties, especially the governing Labour Party, to “unequivocally reject this twisted resolution.” The statement went so far as to accuse the Greens of adopting “Hamas’s signature green color and its ideological doctrine calling for the destruction of the State of Israel through armed struggle,” as reported by i24NEWS.
Within the Green Party itself, the motion exposed deep rifts. Four out of five Green MPs, including prominent figures Ellie Chowns, Sian Berry, Adrian Ramsay, and Carla Denyer, publicly opposed the motion. Party leader Zack Polanski, currently running for parliament in Holborn & St Pancras, notably skipped the vote. Polanski had previously stated in an interview with the BBC that the “displacement and genocide of the Palestinian people” was “clearly racism,” but also argued for an amendment supporting equal rights for both Israelis and Palestinians within a single state framework. He explained, “What I want to see is equal rights for Israelis and Palestinians.”
Some party members attempted to soften the motion’s provisions with amendments, including one designed to protect Jewish party members from expulsion if they belonged to self-identified Zionist synagogues. However, this amendment failed, with 1,026 votes against and just 684 in favor, according to i24NEWS.
The controversy has not been limited to internal party politics. Some Green members are now planning to challenge the new policy in court under the UK’s equality laws. Lawyer Adam Wagner told The Guardian that such a legal challenge could succeed, arguing that under the Equality Act 2010, a broad definition of Zionism might be considered a protected belief. He warned that attempts to discriminate or harass individuals over that belief could “create an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating, or offensive environment for Jewish people and Zionists.”
Despite the motion’s passage, its practical impact remains uncertain. Under Green Party rules, member-supported motions become official party policy, but they are not automatically included in the party’s manifesto for the next general election. This means that while the policy now represents the will of the party’s grassroots, it may not be championed by all Green politicians or featured in their public campaigning.
Party leadership has faced criticism for what some see as a lack of strong opposition to the motion. Jewish leaders accused the Green Party leadership of “staggering indifference to the welfare of British Jews.” Carla Denyer, one of the party’s MPs, expressed concern that the motion’s wording could alienate Jewish members who support Palestinian rights but do not identify as anti-Zionist. She warned, “If this motion passes as written, I am concerned that elected Greens will be forced to spend our time and energy debating and defending definitions, at the expense of focussing on the essential actions that only we can take to make things materially better for people in Palestine.”
Ellie Chowns echoed these concerns, posting on social media that the motion “risks fuelling division and risks undermining the party’s ability to advocate effectively for justice and peace.” The party’s spokesperson responded by reaffirming the Green Party’s identity as an “anti-racist party” that has “consistently opposed the illegal occupation of both Palestinian and Syrian land, called for an end to arms sales to the Israeli government and spoken out fearlessly about the devastating situation in Gaza and the West Bank.” The spokesperson insisted, “Those positions remain central to our approach. So too does our deeply held commitment to equality, justice and human rights for all and opposition to racism in all its forms.”
The Greens’ shift on Israel-Palestine has been building for years, especially since many anti-Zionist activists left Labour under Keir Starmer’s leadership, feeling he was too soft on Israel. The party’s new direction has attracted voters dissatisfied with Labour’s stance on the Israel-Hamas war, but it has also led to a decline in leader Zack Polanski’s popularity, according to recent polls.
While the Green Party’s vote has electrified supporters of Palestinian rights, it has also raised difficult questions about the boundaries between anti-Zionism and antisemitism, the future of the party’s electoral coalition, and the broader role of identity politics in the UK. As the dust settles, the Greens now face legal, political, and moral challenges that will test the party’s unity and its commitment to both anti-racism and social justice.