Auto Amazon Links: No products found.
Former Green Party leader Caroline Lucas has criticized Zack Polanski, the current head of the party, for failing to demonstrate leadership after a contentious motion was passed by party members labeling Zionism as a form of racism. Lucas told the BBC’s Newsnight program that Polanski, who did not attend the debate at the Green Party’s annual conference in Brighton, “should have been there and he should have voted.”
Lucas expressed strong disapproval of the motion, which characterizes Zionism as an ideology supporting “an ethnonationalist Jewish state,” calling it “dangerous” and “divisive.” Despite the controversy, Polanski has stated his commitment to ensuring that no one will be excluded from the Green Party on the basis of their religion or communal affiliations. This comes shortly after he stood as a candidate in the Holborn and St Pancras by-election, where the Greens conceded defeat early on Friday morning, acknowledging Polanski had secured a “close second” place to Labour’s candidate.
Polanski left the party’s conference early to focus on campaigning in North London, and as a result, he did not vote on the motion. Since the motion’s approval on Sunday, Polanski has avoided media interviews and did not respond to inquiries from a BBC reporter on the subject. The motion also calls for the establishment of a single democratic Palestinian state covering all of historic Palestine, including the current territory of Israel. Although Green Party rules mandate that motions supported by members become official policy, they are not necessarily incorporated into the party’s platform for upcoming general elections.
Caroline Lucas, who opposed the motion, remarked, “I would have hoped [Polanski] would have been a very strong critic of this motion,” adding that the motion was “flawed from top to bottom.” When asked if Polanski should resign, she responded that it was too soon to say, noting that he had been fully occupied with the by-election campaign. Lucas emphasized the need for Polanski to address the situation and provide the leadership that she felt was lacking during the conference vote. A Green Party spokesperson responded to Lucas’s critique by acknowledging that passionate disagreements are part of politics, especially amid campaigns, asserting that the Greens operate differently compared to other parties prone to internal factionalism.
The controversial motion has dominated the final stages of Polanski’s by-election campaign in the constituency previously held by former Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, where the Greens had hoped to overturn a significant Labour majority. The vote has exposed rifts within the party, highlighting tensions between the newly expanded membership under Polanski’s leadership and the party’s parliamentary representatives. Four out of the five Green MPs opposed the motion, and the co-deputy leaders of the party were divided in their stance. The fallout even prompted the resignation of the deputy leader in Wales and drew criticism from the European Green Party.
In a statement following the vote, Polanski refrained from explicitly endorsing the motion but sought to reassure Jewish members that “no-one will be made unwelcome because of their background, their faith, or where they worship.” As a Jewish individual himself, he stressed that “antisemitism and criticism of the Israeli state are, and must always be, completely distinct.” Prior to the vote, Polanski had supported an amendment designed to protect Jewish members affiliated with synagogues identifying as Zionist from disciplinary action, but this proposal was rejected by the membership. He also expressed concern about the motion’s reference to a single Palestinian state, stating, “I don’t believe we as a Green Party of England and Wales, or even the British government, should be deciding what the future settlement looks like.”
In response to the controversy, Prime Minister Andy Burnham publicly called on Polanski to overturn the motion, describing its support as “completely wrong” and reflecting “terrible judgement.” Burnham criticized the motion for effectively ruling out a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and said, “For that reason, it shouldn’t be supported in any way, shape or form.” When questioned about the possibility of future coalitions involving the Green Party, he declined to speculate on potential political arrangements. Meanwhile, a Green Party spokesperson defended the discussion as complex and emotive, linking the debate to Israel’s actions, which they described as involving “genocide, ethnic cleansing and the killing of children,” while accusing political establishments of turning a blind eye or providing support.
The International Court of Justice is currently examining a case brought by South Africa accusing Israeli forces of genocide. However, the proceedings could take several years to conclude. Israel has dismissed the case as “wholly unfounded” and based on “biased and false claims.
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More
Auto Amazon Links: No products found.