The Green Party of England and Wales is facing criticism from Jewish organisations following a controversial vote on Zionism at its annual conference in Brighton.
Party members voted 1,022 to 813 to adopt a policy defining Zionism as an ethnonationalist political project and stating that it should be treated as a form of racism. The policy also backs the creation of a single democratic Palestinian state across historic Palestine.
The decision has prompted accusations from some Jewish organisations that the wording is antisemitic and could have consequences for Jewish members who identify as Zionists. The Movement for Progressive Judaism said the policy attacks an important part of Jewish identity and called for it to be reversed.
Concerns were also raised inside the Green Party. An amendment intended to provide additional safeguards for Jewish members who belong to organisations or synagogues that identify as Zionist was rejected by delegates.
The party, however, rejects the suggestion that its anti-Zionist position amounts to antisemitism. In its official statement, the Greens said anti-Zionism should not be equated with antisemitism and reaffirmed its commitment to opposing discrimination and racism.
Green Party leader Zack Polanski did not take part in the vote because he had left the conference to campaign in the Holborn and St Pancras by-election. In a joint statement with the party's MPs and deputy leaders, he said there was no conflict between supporting Palestinian rights and the rights of Jewish people.
The vote has nevertheless intensified an internal and public debate over how the party's new anti-Zionist policy should be applied, particularly in relation to Jewish members and the distinction between opposition to Zionism and antisemitism.
The controversy is expected to continue as the party faces questions over the policy's implications and whether it could be challenged under equality legislation.