Green leader Polanski: Zionism racist in practice, no state has right to exist under international law

Zack Polanski, leader of the Green Party in England and Wales, stated that Zionism is racist in its practical application. In a BBC interview, Polanski defended the party’s motion, saying, “I don’t think this is actually controversial,” and argued that no state has a right to exist under international law.

The controversial motion, which Polanski supported despite calling the debate over its wording unhelpful, was adopted at the Green Party’s autumn conference in Brighton. The policy implicitly calls for the replacement of Israel with a “single democratic Palestinian state in all historic Palestine.”

A majority of Jewish Greens supported the motion in a survey, according to Polanski. However, the policy has drawn sharp criticism from senior Greens, including former leader Caroline Lucas, and was labelled anti-Semitic by Prime Minister Andy Burnham and Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis.

Public support for Polanski has declined in the wake of the dispute. An October Ipsos survey found 52% of the public held an unfavorable view of him, his lowest rating as Green leader, up six points from September.