British Green Party Passes Vote Defining Zionism As Form Of Racism

Britain's Green Party voted on Sunday to class Zionism as a form of racism, drawing strong criticism from British Jewish groups and the Israeli government.

The Vote And Details

The motion passed by a majority of 1,022 votes to 813 despite opposition from many senior figures. The party stated that it regarded Zionism as an ethnonationalist political project. It also repeated its call for Britain's Labour government to end all arms trade with Israel. The motion backed the right to self-determination and called for a single democratic state throughout historic Palestine. Party leader Zack Polanski did not vote.

Reactions

The Movement for Progressive Judaism condemned the result, stating that the Green Party had made antisemitism party policy. The Israeli government said it now viewed the party as a body that gives legitimacy to terrorism and called on other British political parties to condemn the vote. Deputy leader Mothin Ali defended the vote, citing the heavy Palestinian death toll in the conflict with Hamas following the 2023 attack on an Israeli music festival.

Context

Zionism is the movement that inspired the foundation of the modern state of Israel in the twentieth century. The definition of the term remains deeply contentious and divides opinion globally regarding the rights of people in the region. Political parties in Britain often take distinct stances on foreign policy issues involving the Middle East.