The Green Party recently passed a motion at its annual conference declaring that Zionism is racism, winning by a vote of 1,022 to 813. The policy is backed by 745 members, including a medical professional currently under investigation by the General Medical Council.
The 1,022-vote mandate for a single Palestinian state
The Green Party's annual conference recently culminated in the adoption of a policy that defines Zionism as an ideology supporting an ethnonationalist Jewish state. according to the report, the motion passed with 1 ,022 votes in favor and 813 against, officially establishing the party's support for a single democratic Palestinian state across all of historic Palestine, including modern-day Israel.
This shift represents a hardening of the Green Party's stance on the Middle East, moving from general support for Palestinian rights to a specific ideological condemnation of Zionism. By formalizing this as party policy, the Green Party has signaled a willingness to embrace a definition of Zionism that many political opponents and Jewish organizations view as inherently anti-Semitic.
Dr. Rebecca Jones and the GMC fitness to practise probe
Among the 745 supporters of the motion is Rebecca Jones, a Lewisham councillor known as "The Vegan Doctor." As reported, the General Medical Council launched a fitness to practise investigation into Dr. Rebecca Jones in June following social media posts, including one that called for Zionism to be "burned to the ground" alongside an image of a burning Israeli flag. Dr. Rebecca Jones has also publicly prasied the supposed last will and testament of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar as "beautiful."
Dr. Rebecca Jones has defended her position to her 20,000 followers, arguing that the General Medical Council is attempting to censor doctors. She maintains that anti-Zionist views constitute a protected philosophical belief under the Equality Act 2010 and that her advocacy is a moral response to apartheid and genocide in Palestine.
From the Shenstone drone factory plot to party policy
The list of signatories includes individuals with histories of direct action and criminal convictions. Jeremy Parker and Helen Caney, members of Palestine Action, both backed the motion; the pair were involved in a 2021 attempt to damage an Elbit Systems drone factory in Shenstone, Staffordshire. While Helen Caney received a suspended nine-month sentence and Jeremy Parker received a suspended 12-month sentence, the court noted the group could have caused over £30,000 in damages.
The inclusion of figures like Jeremy Parker and Patrick Thelwell—who was handed a community order for egging King Charles and Queen Camilla in 2022—highlights a growing overlap between the Green Party's formal policy-making and a more militant wing of climate and social activists.
Hau-Yu Tam and the limits of political rhetoric
The motion also draws support from Hau-Yu Tam, the deputy leader of Lewisham Council. Ms. Tam, who moved from the Labour Party to the Green Party in 2025, has a history of provocative rhetoric, including calling Priti Patel and David Lammy "coconuts" and expressing pride in a lawyer attempting to remove Hamas from the terror list.
The case of Hau-Yu Tam raises a critical, unanswered question: how does the Green Party reconcile the "protected belief" defense with the support of individuals who have praised lawyers for proscribed organizations like Hamas? The source does not clarify if the Green Party has an internal vetting process for those who sign such high-profile ideological motions.
Zack Polanski's dissent and Andy Burnham's coalition veto
The adoption of the "Zionism is racism" policy has created a stark divide between the Green Party's grassroots and its leadership. Green leader Zack Polanski has admitted he does not support the motion's current wording, and four out of the five Green MPs opposed the measure.
This internal friction is compounded by immediate external political fallout.. Prime Minister Andy Burnham has explicitly ruled out a coalition with the Green Party, labeling the motion "wrong and anti-Semitic." This veto suggests that the Green Party's move toward ideological purity may come at the cost of actual governing power.
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