Delegates at the Brighton conference voted 1,022 to 813 on 4 October 2026 to define Zionism as racism and endorse a single democratic state across historic Palestine.
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar barred Green Party leader Zack Polanski from entering Israel, calling the resolution an antisemitic denial of Jewish self-determination.
Four of the party's five MPs opposed the motion, while German Green co-leader Felix Banaszak termed the resolution intolerable and contrary to European Green Party policy.
Amnesty International UK trust chair Sandy Ruthven resigned from the party, while Jewish Greens chair Vivien Lichtenstein stated she is reconsidering her membership.
The Green Party of England and Wales adopted a binding policy resolution defining Zionism as a form of racism during its annual conference in Brighton on 4 October 2026. Members voted 1,022 to 813 to approve the motion, which categorizes Zionism as an ethno-nationalist political project and calls for the creation of a single democratic state across historic Palestine. The policy text demands that Zionism be treated like any other form of racism and calls on the UK government to halt all arms sales to Israel. Party leader Zack Polanski, who is of Jewish heritage and took office in September 2025, did not participate in the conference vote after departing to campaign in a parliamentary by-election. Deputy leader Mothin Ali supported the measure, pointing to the civilian death toll during the conflict between Israel and Hamas as key context for the resolution.
“This motion defines Zionism very clearly. It defines it as an ethno-nationalist movement, it defines it as ethnic cleansing, and it defines it as genocide.”
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The resolution drew swift condemnation from the Israeli government, which declared that the motion denies the Jewish people the right to self-determination under the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar announced an entry ban prohibiting Green Party leader Zack Polanski from travelling to Israel. The Israeli Foreign Ministry described the document as antisemitic and stated that it regards the party as legitimizing armed conflict and calling for the elimination of the State of Israel. Domestic Jewish community groups in the United Kingdom also condemned the decision, arguing that the resolution adopts an antisemitic political platform. Vivien Lichtenstein, chair of the Jewish Greens group, stated to the BBC that she is evaluating whether to maintain her party membership following the vote.
“It runs counter to everything that Alliance 90/the Greens stands for in Germany, and it also runs counter to what the European Green party stands for.”
The vote exposed a deep division within the party between grassroots activists and its elected parliamentary leadership. Four of the party's five members of Parliament, including Siân Berry, Ellie Chowns, and former co-leaders Adrian Ramsay and Carla Denyer, publicly opposed the motion alongside former party leader Caroline Lucas. Sandy Ruthven, the chair of Amnesty International UK's charitable trust and a longtime member, resigned from the Green Party and accused it of failing to address antisemitism. The European Green Party, an umbrella group of 47 member parties, announced that it will seek urgent clarification from the English and Welsh leadership, noting that the motion contradicts its support for a two-state solution. Felix Banaszak, co-leader of Alliance 90/The Greens in Germany, publicly condemned the decision during a press conference.
The Scottish Greens defended their sister party, asserting that any ideology granting one ethnic group superior rights to land is inherently racist, though they refrained from endorsing a single-state model. Scottish First Minister John Swinney criticized the move during a broadcast interview, reiterating his support for a two-state framework and arguing that political parties should not attempt to redefine legal terms. The controversy also focused attention on internal party governance, as the party's direct-democracy structure enabled 1,022 delegates (representing roughly 0.4% of total party membership) to set official platform policy. The vote follows significant electoral advances for the Greens, who gained momentum in the February 2026 Gorton and Denton by-election and more than doubled their local council representation in May 2026.
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Members at the Green Party conference in Brighton voted 1,022 to 813 to endorse a single-state policy in historic Palestine, sparking pushback from European allies and four of the party's five MPs.
AI text based on reports by BBC, The Telegraph, The Guardian and other publishers. Changed .