Greens of England and Wales equate Zionism with racism — The Guardian
The Green Party of England and Wales, at its annual conference in Brighton, United Kingdom, approved a resolution under which Zionism should be regarded as any other form of racism. The decision was supported by 1,022 voting participants, while 813 voted against it, The Guardian reports.
Content of the resolution
The document titled “Zionism Is Racism” became official policy of the Greens of England and Wales. It states that Zionism, as defined in the resolution, grants privileges to one ethnic group on the basis of the subjugation of others.
The resolution also calls for the creation of a single Palestinian state in place of Israel, with equal rights for all. The text emphasizes that the document concerns the political ideology and practice of Zionism, rather than the religious or ethnic background of people who may identify themselves as Zionists. It also states that not all Jews are Zionists and not all Zionists are Jews.
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Amendments and MPs’ reaction
During an earlier vote, party members supported an amendment to update other provisions of party policy in line with the resolution. At the same time, they rejected three other amendments, including a proposal not to use the decision for pressure, bans or disciplinary measures against members because of their affiliation with Jewish communal institutions.
Four of the five Green MPs condemned the resolution; former party leader Caroline Lucas also opposed it. Adrian Ramsay, who led the party alongside another co-leader before Zack Polanski, said that the document defines what the Palestinian state should be without taking into account the rights of Israelis and Palestinians to self-determination. Green MP Sian Berry expressed the same position.
MP Carla Denyer said the wording could alienate a significant proportion of Jewish people, including those who strongly disagree with the Israeli government. Party leader Zack Polanski missed the vote because he was campaigning in the Holborn and St Pancras constituency, where he is running in a parliamentary by-election. He told the BBC that the resolution defines Zionism as the displacement and genocide of the Palestinian people, and called it racism.
