The Greens have formally adopted a policy that equates Zionism with racism and calls for Israel to be replaced by a single Palestinian state, a move opposed by the bulk of the party’s MPs and which is expected to face legal challenge.
Zack Polanski, who heads the Greens in England and Wales and missed the vote at the party’s conference in Brighton to campaign in the Holborn and St Pancras byelection, has faced criticism for a perceived lack of leadership on a hugely divisive issue.
There have also been concerns that the policy change was pushed largely by newcomers who have little interest in the rest of the party’s platform.
Four of the party’s five MPs opposed the motion. Adrian Ramsay and Ellie Chowns said they were “deeply saddened” while Siân Berry and Carla Denyer said they would support any Jewish members who believed they were being targeted as a result of the policy change.
The binding policy motion, passed by 1,022 votes to 813, says Zionism – the movement for a Jewish state – should be “treated as any other form of racism”. It calls for Israel to be replaced by a single Palestinian state “with equal rights for all”.
Israel’s foreign ministry said the resolution “constitutes a clear antisemitic text according to the IHRA (International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance) definition, as it denies the Jewish people’s right to self-determination”.
Foreign minister Gideon Sa’ar decided to declare Green party leader Zack Polanski barred from entering Israel, the ministry said, adding the decision had been coordinated with the relevant authorities.
While opinion among Jewish Green members is split, some have expressed worry that this will mean they could face disciplinary action for belonging to Jewish organisations that officially support Zionism, even synagogues.
After the vote, one backer of the motion, Salma Yaqoob, a former member of George Galloway’s Respect party who is now a Green, insisted this would not happen, saying: “Nobody will be removed, challenged, disciplined, suspended because they put forward or articulate their belief in Zionism.”
However, an amendment put forward saying the motion should not be used to “pressure, proscribe or discipline members based on affiliation with Jewish community institutions” was voted down.
It is understood that some Green members are consulting lawyers over whether the policy could be challenged for breaching equalities legislation.
Adam Wagner KC, the barrister who led a case that concluded Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour broke equalities laws over antisemitism, said such a case would have a good chance of success.
“I think there is a strong risk that the motion as passed contravenes the Equality Act 2010, which applies to political parties, as it will discriminate against and harass people who hold Zionist beliefs and Jewish people more generally,” he said.
Zionism when defined in the broad sense of supporting a Jewish nation state “is likely to be a protected belief” under the act, he said.
The motion argues that Zionism is necessarily racist as it “privileges one ethnic group on the basis of the subjugation of others”. It adds: “This motion is aimed at the political ideology and practice of Zionism, as defined, and not at the religious or ethnic background of those who may identify as Zionists. Not all Jews are Zionists and not all Zionists are Jews …
“Zionism, as defined above, will be treated as any other form of racism, and this motion will be implemented by the anti-racism policy working group as appropriate and in accordance with its ordinary practice.”
According to the Institute for Jewish Policy Research, about two-thirds of British Jews consider themselves Zionists.
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During the lengthy debate, which was for members only, Chowns and Caroline Lucas, the former leader who was the Greens’ first MP, argued against the plan.
The motion had been pushed by a group called Greens for Palestine, which encouraged non-party members to sign up to the party to make sure the policy was debated and adopted. After it was passed, supporters came to the front of the hall to hug and cheer.
One member who opposed the motion said: “There are now two Green parties – the everyday members, and those who have joined for just one reason, Palestineand who have no interest in anything else.”
There is considerable disquiet among some senior Greens who feel that Polanski, who is Jewish, could have taken a stronger stance on the issue. The party leader has justified the motion’s broad argument by pointing to the death toll in Gaza during Israel’s assault on the territory.
Asked on Saturday if he believed Zionism was racist, Polanski told the BBC: “Well, in the motion, it is defined as the displacement and genocide of the Palestinian people. I think that is clearly racism.”
After the vote, the party’s five MPs, plus Polanski and his two co-deputy leaders, released a joint statement saying the party “will never tolerate any form of discrimination or harassment”, adding: “We know there is no conflict between supporting the rights of Palestinians and the rights of Jewish people.”
However, Ramsay, Chowns, Berry and Denyer all posted this on social media with messages noting their opposition to the motion.
The Movement for Progressive Judaismone of the main Jewish denominations in the UK, condemned the vote, saying: “The motion is antisemitic in its formulation and intention. By adopting it, the Green party has made antisemitism party policy and become a racist party.
“Jewish self-determination is a right. Declaring it racist is an attack on Jews. The Green party has chosen to brand Jews who hold this belief as racists and make their equal participation in the party conditional on renouncing it.”
Adam Langleben, who coordinated complaints from the Jewish Labour Movement to the Equality and Human Rights Commission, said: “This is without doubt the most antisemitic and racist motion brought before a mainstream political party in my lifetime. It is Corbynism on steroids, and would seem even more open to legal challenge.”
Source: www.theguardian.com
