Zack Polanski Defends Leadership After Zionism Motion Row and By-election Loss
Zack Polanski has defended his leadership of the Greens, after senior party figures criticized his response to a motion passed by members declaring Zionism a form of racism.
Speaking after coming second to Labour in the Holborn and St Pancras by-election, the Green leader stated, "Yes, I've taken a loss tonight, but our movement is so much bigger than one election or one motion." He assured members, "Nobody will be excluded in the Green Party based on faith and religion," addressing concerns raised by Jewish members regarding the motion.
Earlier, former party leader Caroline Lucas accused Polanski of failing to demonstrate leadership over the motion. She criticized him for not participating in the debate or voting on the motion at the Green Party's annual conference in Brighton on Sunday, describing it as "dangerous" and "divisive".
The motion defined Zionism as an ideology supporting "an ethnonationalist Jewish state" and backed "a single democratic Palestinian state in all of historic Palestine," which includes modern-day Israel.
Under Green Party rules, motions supported by members become official party policy, but they are not guaranteed to be included in the party's manifesto at the next general election.
Polanski's comments in the early hours of Friday morning marked his first response to the motion, after declining media interviews during the final days of the by-election campaign. However, he remained non-committal on the motion's specifics.
When asked whether he agreed with the motion that Zionism is racism, Polanski, who is Jewish, replied: "I grew up in a Zionist household... I don't believe that's true. And what we're seeing is an ongoing genocide and the displacement of the Palestinian people. I believe that's clearly racist."
Israel has denied its actions in Gaza amount to genocide, and the International Court of Justice (ICJ) is currently hearing a case brought by South Africa that accuses Israel of genocide. Israel has characterized the case as "wholly unfounded" and based on "biased and false claims."
Polanski declined to apologize to Jewish individuals upset by the vote on the motion, stating, "It's my job to reassure people and to make sure that we bring our party together." He emphasized his party's inclusivity, "Any member is entitled to their opinion for a democratic grassroots party."
Supporters of the motion are urging Polanski to explicitly declare it as party policy, while those opposed want him to distance himself from the motion.