In a vote that cuts to the heart of one of the most contested questions in contemporary politics, the United Kingdom's Green Party formally defined Zionism as a form of ethnonationalist racism, transforming a long-running philosophical and moral debate into official party policy. The motion, passed narrowly at a party conference in October 2026, drew immediate condemnation from Israel's government, its president, and British Jewish organizations, each arguing that the resolution crossed from political critique into antisemitism. Though the Greens hold only five seats in Parliament, the vote ca
UK Green Party votes to define Zionism as racism, drawing swift Israeli condemnation
Those who claim Zionism is racism deliberately endanger Jews everywhere
Mark
So the Green Party formally voted to say Zionism is racism. That's a pretty stark position. What exactly did they define it as?
Mimi
They called it an "ethnonationalist political project." The motion passed 1,022 to 813, so it was close but clear.
Luke
Close is the word. That's not a landslide. And the party leader didn't even vote on it.
Mark
Why would Polanski abstain if this is now party policy?
Mimi
He didn't explain publicly. But he did sign a statement afterward saying the party opposes genocide and ethnic cleansing.
Luke
Which is different from saying whether Zionism itself is racism. That's a notable gap.
Mark
What did Israel say in response?
Mimi
The government called it a gift to Hamas ideology. The president said it was antisemitic and dangerous. Pretty unambiguous.
Luke
Those are strong words, but they're political responses. What's actually in dispute here—the definition itself, or the framing of what that definition means?
Mark
And what about British Jews?
Mimi
Jewish groups in the UK said the party had made antisemitism official policy. Though they acknowledged some Jews voted for it.
Luke
Which is true and also complicated. It doesn't resolve whether the motion itself is antisemitic or just politically controversial.
Mark
Where does this leave the Green Party now?
Mimi
They have five MPs in Parliament. They're a small party, but they've just made themselves a flashpoint in a much larger debate.
Der Puls
- A narrow but decisive vote — 1,022 to 813 — transformed what had been a contested internal debate into binding Green Party policy, with no room left for ambiguity.
- Israel's Foreign Ministry accused the Greens of adopting not just Hamas's color but its ideology, while President Herzog warned the resolution placed Jewish people in direct danger.
- British Jewish groups went further, declaring the party itself had become a racist organization and that the presence of Jewish yes-votes did not shield the resolution from being weaponized against Jewish communities.
- Party leader Zack Polanski abstained rather than voted, a conspicuous act of distancing that left the party's internal fractures visible even in the moment of its boldest declaration.
- With Polanski campaigning in Keir Starmer's former constituency and other parties now under pressure to respond, the resolution is already rippling outward into the broader architecture of British political life.
In a vote that cuts to the heart of one of the most contested questions in contemporary politics, the United Kingdom's Green Party formally defined Zionism as a form of ethnonationalist racism, transforming a long-running philosophical and moral debate into official party policy. The motion, passed narrowly at a party conference in October 2026, drew immediate condemnation from Israel's government, its president, and British Jewish organizations, each arguing that the resolution crossed from political critique into antisemitism. Though the Greens hold only five seats in Parliament, the vote carries symbolic weight far beyond their numbers, arriving against the backdrop of ongoing conflict in Gaza and a broader reckoning across Western democracies about where the boundaries of legitimate political speech lie.
On a Sunday in October 2026, the UK Green Party voted to make it official policy that Zionism constitutes a form of ethnonationalist racism. The motion passed 1,022 to 813, and with it came a reaffirmation of support for Palestinian liberation, the right of return, the BDS movement, and a full arms embargo on Israel. For a party with only five seats in a 650-member Parliament, the vote was less a legislative act than a declaration of moral identity — one that immediately drew fire from multiple directions.
Israel's response was swift and unsparing. The Foreign Ministry accused the Greens of crossing beyond legitimate political disagreement into ideological alignment with Hamas, calling on other British parties to publicly reject the resolution. President Isaac Herzog called the vote a disgrace, warning that framing Zionism as racism endangered Jewish people. Opposition leader Yair Lapid turned the charge around entirely, arguing it was the Green Party, not Zionism, that deserved the label.
British Jewish organizations were equally unsparing. The Movement for Progressive Judaism declared that the party had enshrined antisemitism as official policy, and noted that Jewish members who voted in favor did not neutralize the resolution's potential to harm other Jews. The party's own leader, Zack Polanski, abstained — a pointed silence in the middle of the party's loudest moment — though he later joined colleagues in a statement pledging to hold the Netanyahu government accountable for what they called genocide and illegal occupation.
Co-deputy leader Mothin Ali pointed to the scale of casualties in Gaza as the moral context driving the motion. The Greens won six percent of the national vote in 2024, making them a minor but visible force. With Polanski now running for Parliament in the constituency once held by former Prime Minister Keir Starmer, the party's stance carries a political charge that extends well beyond its size.
The United Kingdom's Green Party voted on Sunday to formally define Zionism as a form of racism, setting off a chain of sharp rebukes from Israel, the Israeli government, and British Jewish organizations. The motion passed with 1,022 votes in favor and 813 against, making the small left-leaning party's position official policy. In the statement accompanying the vote, the Greens characterized Zionism as "an ethnonationalist political project" and used the occasion to reaffirm their support for Palestinian liberation, the right of return, the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, and a complete arms embargo against Israel.
Israel's response was immediate and unsparing. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement declaring that the Green Party's position had crossed beyond the bounds of legitimate political disagreement and called on other British political parties to publicly reject the resolution. In particularly sharp language, the ministry wrote that the Greens had "adopted not only the green of Hamas, but also its ideology: the elimination of the State of Israel through armed struggle." Israeli President Isaac Herzog took to social media to call the vote "a disgrace and a shame," arguing that those promoting the idea that Zionism is racism were deliberately putting Jewish people and Israelis at risk. Opposition leader Yair Lapid countered the party's framing by saying it was not Zionism that constituted racism, but rather the Green Party itself.
British Jewish groups joined the condemnation. The Movement for Progressive Judaism released a statement saying the Green Party had made antisemitism official party policy and had become a racist organization. The group also noted that even though some Jewish members had voted for the motion, that fact did not negate its potential to be weaponized against other Jews. The party leader, Zack Polanski, notably abstained from voting on the resolution, even as he and other Green members issued a joint statement afterward pledging to continue opposing what they called genocide, ethnic cleansing, apartheid, and illegal occupation, and to hold the Netanyahu government accountable for what they described as heinous crimes.
When asked about the timing and reasoning behind the vote, Mothin Ali, one of the party's co-deputy leaders, pointed to the scale of casualties in Gaza and Israel's ongoing military operations as the context that had prompted the motion. The Green Party holds five seats in the 650-member UK Parliament. The party received 6 percent of the vote in the 2024 national elections, making it a minor player in British politics but one with enough visibility to draw sustained attention to its positions. Polanski is currently running for Parliament in the London constituency of former Prime Minister Keir Starmer, which adds another layer of political significance to the party's stance at this moment.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
Those who claim the antisemitic lie that 'Zionism is racism' deliberately endanger Jews and Israelis everywhere.— Israeli President Isaac Herzog
The Greens have adopted not only the green of Hamas, but also its ideology: the elimination of the State of Israel through armed struggle.— Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs
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