The Green Party's upcoming conference will feature a debate on a motion asserting that "Zionism is racism". This discussion takes place as arguments surrounding the definition and historical context of Zionism have intensified.
Green Party leader Zack Polanski has previously identified himself as an anti-Zionist. Modern Zionism, which developed in the late 1800s, is associated with the movement for Jewish self-determination and statehood, emerging from a religious yearning to return to Zion.
Critics of Zionism, including some on the left, in the Arab world, and anti-Zionist Jews, point to the displacement of Palestinians during the Nakba, alleged unequal rights in occupied territories, and discrimination against Palestinians within Israel. Conversely, Zionists highlight a historical Jewish presence in the Holy Land and view it as a refuge.
The claim that Zionism is racism is not new; the UN passed resolution 3379 in 1975, comparing "the racist regime in occupied Palestine" to apartheid South Africa, though this resolution was revoked in 1991. Proponents of the argument suggest Zionism privileges Jewish rights over non-Jews, while opponents describe the framing as antisemitic, arguing it denies Jews the right to self-determination.
An employment tribunal two years ago ruled that the view "Zionism is and always has been a racist, violent, imperialist ideology premised on ethnic cleansing" constituted a protected philosophical belief under the 2010 Equality Act, a decision upheld on appeal.