Britain’s Green Party votes to class Zionism as a form of racism, leader banned from Israel

Britain's Green Party officially voted on Sunday, October 4, 2026, to classify Zionism as a form of racism during its annual conference. The controversial motion passed with 1,022 votes in favor and 813 against, making the Green Party the first mainstream UK party to adopt such a stance. The party now defines Zionism as an "ethnonationalist political project" and advocates for a single democratic Palestinian state across all of historic Palestine.

The decision has ignited significant backlash and internal divisions. British Jewish groups, including the Movement for Progressive Judaism, strongly condemned the move, labeling it as antisemitic and expressing concerns about potential discrimination against Jewish members within the party. The Israeli government also reacted swiftly, calling the resolution "a clear antisemitic text" and announcing that it would bar Green Party leader Zack Polanski from entering Israel.

Internally, the vote highlighted rifts within the Green Party. While co-deputy leader Mothin Ali supported the motion, several prominent Green MPs, including former co-leaders, publicly opposed it. Party leader Zack Polanski, who is Jewish, abstained from the vote, though he had previously expressed that Zionism is racism. The adopted policy further commits the party to supporting the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement and calls for a full arms embargo against Israel.