{"id":4732,"date":"2026-10-28T10:58:16","date_gmt":"2026-10-28T10:58:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/smartinvestingschronicle.com\/index.php\/2026\/10\/28\/the-house-inside-the-green-party-struggle-over-reforms-amid-zionism-is-racism-row\/"},"modified":"2026-10-28T10:58:16","modified_gmt":"2026-10-28T10:58:16","slug":"the-house-inside-the-green-party-struggle-over-reforms-amid-zionism-is-racism-row","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/smartinvestingschronicle.com\/index.php\/2026\/10\/28\/the-house-inside-the-green-party-struggle-over-reforms-amid-zionism-is-racism-row\/","title":{"rendered":"The House | Inside The Green Party Struggle Over Reforms Amid ‘Zionism Is Racism’ Row"},"content":{"rendered":"
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(Anna Watson\/Alamy)<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n


\n 8 min read<\/span>27 October<\/span>
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The fallout from the Green Party\u2019s controversial \u2018Zionism is racism\u2019 motion has exposed deep internal divisions. Zoe Crowther and Matilda Martin report on the efforts to limit the damage<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

The full text runs to more than three pages but its title contains the key claim: Zionism is racism.<\/p>\n

It also commits the Greens to supporting \u201cthe establishment of a single democratic Palestinian state in all of historic Palestine\u201d, and calls for boycotts, the release of Palestinian prisoners and support for all action consistent with international law.<\/p>\n

The motion was passed unamended at the annual Green Party Conference, which has supreme policymaking power, on 4 October by 1,002 votes \u2013 0.4 per cent of total members \u2013 to 813. (Unlike in other parties, any Green member can vote at their Conference; they do not have to first be elected as delegates.)<\/p>\n

Zack Polanski, its leader, was in neither column \u2013 insisting that he had instead to campaign in Holborn and St Pancras as he sought, unsuccessfully as it turned out, to replace Sir Keir Starmer in the by-election triggered by the former Labour PM\u2019s departure.<\/p>\n

Polanski has defended his decision to absent himself, while insisting that it binds his hands. Under the Greens\u2019 constitution, the party\u2019s official position is that it cannot now support a two-state solution, still less affirm Israel\u2019s right to exist, until October 2028 at the earliest.<\/p>\n

The damage has already been profound, exposing deep splits between an \u2018old guard\u2019 and the influx of newer members \u2013 many disaffected former Labour supporters \u2013 over the policy itself as well as Polanski\u2019s leadership and political strategy. The party\u2019s poll ratings are on the slide.<\/p>\n

It is not hard to find Green figures in despair. The party is in \u201ca very challenging place\u201d, admits one insider in what might be termed the old guard. \u201cIt has caused a split and a significant rift.\u201d<\/p>\n

The controversy over \u2018ZiR\u2019 overshadowed other Conference policies, including those on the economy and nuclear power, they add. \u201cSadly, it\u2019s distracting, and it\u2019s going to distract for a long period of time.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a wake-up call to some of us who have been in the party for longer, who are progressives, we were very much pro-Palestinian but have a bit more of a realistic view and don\u2019t want to antagonise the Jewish community\u2026 For us, we realise actually we need to organise a bit better.\u201d<\/p>\n

The motion has also led to significant confusion. The party has sent communications to members stating that it will \u201cnot discriminate against or exclude people holding Zionist views\u201d, despite the wording of the motion suggesting that Zionism should be equated with other forms of racism.<\/p>\n

Many Green councillors describe this position as \u201cunsustainable\u201d, with several telling The House that they have lost local members since the motion was passed. They also express concern that it will have a negative impact on their local campaigning capacity.<\/p>\n

Martin Dimery, a Green councillor and former parliamentary by-election candidate in Somerset, says he intends to focus his campaigns on \u201clocal issues and environmental issues\u201d in the hope of distancing his local Green group from the national party\u2019s motion.<\/p>\n

Senior figures say they are exploring ways to repair the damage with discussions ranging from member consultations to potential changes to party rules.<\/p>\n

Si\u00e2n Berry, the Green MP for Brighton Pavilion, tells The House the party should enter a \u201cperiod of reflection, a period of working and finding out what the party thinks\u201d, following a similar proposal from deputy leader, Mothin Ali.<\/p>\n

Proposals could include citizens\u2019 juries, wider consultations and preparing possible amendments ahead of Spring Conference 2027. However, under party rules, the motion cannot be officially amended until 2028.<\/p>\n

Berry, one of four Green MPs who opposed the motion, says the party needs to establish its position and rebuild trust. Party figures are also discussing whether a binding online ballot could change the policy sooner, amid concerns about safeguarding Jewish institutions that identify as Zionist.<\/p>\n

James McAsh, the Green leader of Southwark council, says: \u201cWhen rules say something that maybe makes something difficult, it doesn\u2019t make it impossible. And there\u2019s always a way to find a solution, so long as everyone\u2019s willing to work together on it.\u201d<\/p>\n

McAsh says the party\u2019s pre-Conference position on Gaza and Palestinian rights had resonated with \u201chundreds of thousands of progressive voters across the country\u201d.<\/p>\n

However, Russell Warfield, a close ally and biographer of Polanski, warns against rushing reform to resolve a specific dispute.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou want it to stand on its own merits, and it be the right thing to do anyway,\u201d he says, adding that constitutional changes were \u201calways quite contentious\u201d within the party.<\/p>\n

The row has also raised questions about whether the Greens can build the credibility needed to challenge Labour nationally while maintaining the possibility of working with it in a coalition government.<\/p>\n

Some established Green figures fear the row has undermined years of work to build the trust of voters, as well as its relationship with the Labour Party at national and local level.<\/p>\n

Andy Burnham has said Labour \u201ccannot support a partnership with a party that holds the position that has recently been adopted\u201d. Some Greens see this as leaving the door open to co-operation if the motion is amended or overturned.<\/p>\n

Polanski\u2019s rhetoric has shifted from setting Green ambitions as replacing Labour as the party of the left, towards simply attempting to push the government leftwards on Gaza, migration and the economy: a move that has not gone unnoticed or unlamented by some in the party.<\/p>\n

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It\u2019s a wake-up call to some of us who have been in the party for longer<\/p>\n

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But Jamie Driscoll, a former Labour mayor and now Green councillor, says: \u201cI reject the idea of dragging Labour to the left, because you will only get tinkering around the edges.\u201d<\/p>\n

Neal Lawson, founder of the cross-party pressure group Compass, says Labour and the Greens are \u201cconnected\u201d: \u201cGiven the threat from the far right across the globe now, and including in the UK, we need at least an equal and opposite force from the progressive side. Dividing that and undermining that is not helpful to anyone other than the far right.\u201d<\/p>\n

Local Labour groups have been instructed to write to their Green counterparts seeking clarity on their position on the motion. Some council leaders, including McAsh in Southwark, where the Greens are in control with the Liberal Democrats as their junior partner, have already publicly condemned the motion. Green councillors in Lewes issued an open letter opposing the motion, while also expressing disappointment at Burnham\u2019s call for coalitions to end.<\/p>\n

In Sheffield, Green councillor Angela Argenzio stopped short of condemning the motion, instead warning the Labour group of the consequences of ending the coalition.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur responsibility goes beyond the direction you are receiving from London,\u201d she writes. \u201cIf Labour chooses to destabilise Sheffield city council over this, Labour owns the consequences.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the time of writing, many other Green groups on coalition councils, such as Stafford borough council, have not yet met to agree a response.<\/p>\n

Warfield argues Greens should resist the pressure. \u201cIf Labour wants to play politics and let local authorities collapse, then they should be allowed to do so, and they should own it,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Greens should show some unity on this question and not be pushed around and bullied by a larger or established party.<\/p>\n

\u201cBroadly, we\u2019ve arrived at a culture where we have enough self-confidence, and the broad consensus of opinion on this is that we shouldn\u2019t be dancing to the tune of Labour. I think we\u2019ve arrived at that position before this particular situation, and it\u2019s my hope that we can sort of sustain that general outlook.\u201d<\/p>\n

One policy working group officer who supports the motion says there was \u201calways a minority that were never happy with Zack\u2019s leadership and are using this [ZiR], combined with him not winning the by-election and changing fortune in the polls\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the moment, there is a lot of discussion about what should the party\u2019s overall strategy or position kind of be?\u201d they add.<\/p>\n

Senior Green figures have raised concerns that newer members are unfamiliar with the party\u2019s processes and approach to co-operation. Others argue parts of the old guard find conflict \u201cuncomfortable\u201d.<\/p>\n

One former member of the party\u2019s executive says: \u201cThere has always been a part of the party [that] has tried to minimise press interest and try to keep everything quiet and sensible.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another veteran says the party was \u201cmaturing\u201d as it moved from being a small party into local government, forcing councillors to make difficult trade-offs.<\/p>\n

\u201cZack is more eco-populist\u2026 but you\u2019ve got eco-socialists like Greens Organise, who are very proudly eco-socialist and organising. You\u2019ve got more progressive\/ecologist types, and with that distinct grouping, you\u2019re going to now get more think pieces, policy processes which are quite distinct, and there\u2019s going to be a real battle of ideas on what do the Greens stand for?\u201d<\/p>\n

Polanski\u2019s leadership appears safe for now. But under party rules that mandate a leadership election every two years, he may well face a challenge next summer. It would be ironic if the motion that caused his downfall outlasted him.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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