Jewish Greens chair may quit over 'Zionism is racism' vote
Vivien Lichtenstein, chair of Jewish Greens, says she could leave the party after members in Brighton voted to adopt a motion declaring Zionism as racism.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
- Jewish Greens chair Vivien Lichtenstein says she could leave the Green Party
- Members voted 1,022 to 813 to adopt a motion declaring Zionism as racism
- The motion also backs a single democratic Palestinian state across historic Palestine
- Jewish groups and Israel's foreign ministry strongly condemned the motion
Vivien Lichtenstein, the chair of Jewish Greens, has told the BBC that it is quite possible she will walk away from the party after members of the Green Party of England and Wales endorsed a policy motion declaring Zionism to be a form of racism. The controversial motion, which has caused divisions among senior party figures, was passed by 1,022 votes to 813 during the party conference held in Brighton.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
The adopted motion explicitly supports the establishment of a single democratic Palestinian state across all of historic Palestine, incorporating modern-day Israel, with Jerusalem as its capital, equal rights for all, and the right of return for Palestinians and their descendants. It defines Zionism as an ideology backing an ethnonationalist Jewish state, a stance that has triggered immediate backlash from various religious and political organizations.
Lichtenstein, a former local party chair, stated that she opposed the motion from the moment she first heard about it and criticized the proposers for failing to consult the Jewish Greens prior to the vote, noting her group could have proposed amendments to improve it. She voiced deep concern that the Green Party might now accuse UK, Israeli, or Jewish organizations working on the ground to assist Palestinians of racism.
"Jewish self-determination is a right. Declaring it racist is an attack on Jews."
The Movement for Progressive Judaism
This development highlights the ongoing internal ideological frictions within left-wing political movements in Europe regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The clash between grassroots activism pursuing strict anti-racism frameworks and established leadership trying to navigate delicate international definitions underscores the profound challenges political parties face when handling deeply polarized geopolitical disputes.
In response to the vote, Israel's foreign ministry announced it had banned Polanski from entering the country, while a Green spokeswoman insisted the party remains committed to protecting Jewish members from persecution. Meanwhile, prominent groups including The Board of Deputies of British Jews, the Jewish Leadership Council, the Movement for Progressive Judaism, and Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis sharply condemned the motion as toxic antisemitism and an attack on Jewish self-determination.
Source: BBC Politics
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