Story perspectives

Green Party Defines Zionism as Ethnonationalist, 1,022–813

By Drooid · Oct 12, 2026, 8:04 PM UTC · How we work

Center

Burnham decries motion

The Green Party of England and Wales adopted a motion at its October 2026 conference defining Zionism as an ethnonationalist Jewish-state ideology, passing 1,022-813.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham called the motion damaging and urged Green leader Zack Polanski to rescind it, saying it harms the two-state solution.
Ellie Chowns noted policy was supported by roughly 0.4% of the party’s 230,000 members.
Zack Polanski, a Jewish anti-Zionist MP, lost the by-election for Keir Starmer’s seat to Labour.

Left

Extremist Capture Threat

The Green Party of England and Wales adopted a motion at its October 2026 conference defining Zionism as an ethnonationalist Jewish state ideology.
Critics warned the definition could expose the party to extremist or racist capture, highlighting internal governance worries.
MP Ellie Chowns said the motion risks making the party vulnerable to extremists and racists.
Leader Zack Polanski proposed rule reforms to give the party leader greater policy control.

Blindspot

Jewish Greens chair Vivien Lichtenstein called for Green Party leader Zack Polanski’s resignation after he missed the conference vote on the Zionism motion.
Within this story's sources, this angle appears mainly in Left-leaning coverage and receives less attention in Center-leaning coverage.

History

Historical Context

The UN General Assembly adopted Resolution 3379 on 10 November 1975, voting 72-35-32 to label Zionism a form of racism; the resolution was revoked by Resolution 46/86 on 16 December 1991 (111-25-13). In October 2026 the Green Party of England and Wales passed a motion calling Zionism an ethnonationalist ideology, echoing the 1975 debate and raising Equality Act concerns.

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Burnham decries motion

The Green Party of England and Wales adopted a motion at its October 2026 conference defining Zionism as an ethnonationalist Jewish-state ideology, passing 1,022-813.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham called the motion damaging and urged Green leader Zack Polanski to rescind it, saying it harms the two-state solution.
Ellie Chowns noted policy was supported by roughly 0.4% of the party’s 230,000 members.
Zack Polanski, a Jewish anti-Zionist MP, lost the by-election for Keir Starmer’s seat to Labour.

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