British Jewish Leaders Condemn Green Party Motion Equating Zionism With Racism

The United Kingdom’s Green Party adopted a motion on Zionism at its annual conference, and British Jewish organizations and Israel’s government responded with strong criticism. According to one report, the motion declared “Zionism is racism” and endorsed violent Palestinian resistance against Israel. Another report said the motion defines Zionism as a political ideology calling for an ethnonationalist Jewish state in historic Palestine, to the exclusion or domination of the non-Jewish population, and that the party now treats Zionism as any other form of racism. The reports differ on the motion’s wording, and the second describes the debate as heated.

The British Board of Deputies warned that such statements could “fan flames of hatred, justifying violence against Israelis and Jews.” Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis called the motion “poisonous antisemitism, a threat to British Jews and to Britain.” The Israeli government denounced the resolution and said the Green Party was no longer a political party but “an organization that supports terror.” These statements are the views of the named bodies and officials as reported. One report said Jewish leaders argue that equating Zionism with racism undermines the legitimacy of the State of Israel.

Jewish communal organizations, according to the first report, have stressed the need to distinguish clearly between criticism of Israeli policies and outright antisemitism. Religious leaders, including the Chief Rabbi, have called for unity and vigilance against hate speech. The first report describes a deepening divide between pro-Israel and anti-Zionist voices in the UK.

The second report cites the Institute for Jewish Policy Research, which found that 64 per cent of British Jews identified as Zionist in June 2025. It also reports that Sam Alston, a Jewish member of Oxford Greens, proposed an amendment to protect members attending synagogues or prayer groups linked to Zionism. According to that report, three quarters of those at the workshop where the amendment was discussed voted it down. On the day of the vote, another amendment to protect Jewish members was defeated, with over 1,000 members voting against it. Protecting those exposed to hostility is a concern that the amendments raised directly (Proverbs 31:8-9).

A third report, which carries the headline “I’m an anti-Zionist Jew and I’m very upset,” describes the motion as a proposal rather than an adopted policy. It says the Green Party has faced internal debate over a proposed motion defining Zionism as a “racist ideology,” and that the proposal has caused significant controversy and divisions, particularly among the party’s Jewish members. This account conflicts with the first two reports, which say the motion passed. The third report says some anti-Zionist Jews within the Greens have expressed concern over the potential consequences of the motion.