Greens to vote to reject Israel's right to exist and back Palestinian armed struggle

Green Party members have been told they will get to vote on a motion to formally reject Israel's right to exist as a state and back “armed” Palestinian resistance.

Activists from the Greens for Palestine sub-group have tabled a motion to put pressure on Zack Polanski to declare Zionism is racism in party policy.

Mr Polanski, who is himself Jewish, recently admitted he had changed his position on Zionism after previously advocating for Israel's right to exist.

However, pressure from the grassroots has left Mr Polanski facing a challenge ahead of his crunch by-election in Holborn & St Pancras on October 8.

A leaflet about the Zionism motion, which was leaked to The Times, revealed members will get to vote on removing Palestine Action from the list of proscribed terror groups.

Lubna Speitan, the author of the motion, wrote: “We must bring an end to this racism and the monstrous state that has been built upon it.

"Beyond Palestine and our region, this is a threat to peace and freedom everywhere.

“We are heartened to report that our motion has been received with overwhelming support.

She added: “In pursuit of the right to self-determination, the Palestinian people’s use of force to resist foreign oppression and to complete the establishment of an independent State is an inalienable right well founded in international law.

“The Palestinian people have for decades been subject to relentless Israeli coercive actions seeking to prevent them from exercising their right to self-determination.

"In turn, their resort to the use of force — in accordance with the norms set by international humanitarian law — is lawful, and the motion simply recognises that fact.”

The Green Party has faced allegations of antisemitism ever since Mr Polanski replaced Carla Denyer and Adrian Ramsay as leader in September 2025.

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Mr Polanski, who has not spoken publicly about the motion, argued earlier this year that the Green Party is cracking down on antisemitism.

“Antisemitism is completely unwelcome in the Green Party, as it is in society," he said.

However, a number of Green Party candidates were accused of making antisemitic statements ahead of the 2026 Local Elections.

One allegedly called for "every single Zionist" to be killed, while another claimed Hamas's October 7 attack was just Palestinians trying to "defend themselves".

Hamas terrorists murdered more than 1,200 people and took a further 251 hostages in the 2023 attack.

Greens for Palestine, the internal pressure group pushing for the controversial motion, failed to mention "Hamas" or "October 7" in its seven-page motion or its 46-page information booklet.

Meanwhile, the group references "Israel" 77 times and mentions "Jews" or "Jewish" on 86 occasions.

The Green Party conference will be held in Brighton between October 2 and October 4.

Mr Polanski had allegedly tried to delay the event while campaigning to become the MP for Holborn & St Pancras on October 8.

However, the Green Party leader had his request refused by the ruling executive committee.

Mr Polanski, who received just 728 votes when he stood in Westminster in 2019, is considered Labour's main threat in Sir Keir Starmer's former seat.

But a series of blunders risk the Greens slumping further behind Andy Burnham's Labour.

Despite defeating Labour in the Gorton & Denton by-election in February, the Greens now find themselves down to just nine per cent in More in Common's most recent poll.

A Green Party spokesman said: “Unlike other political parties, our members can bring and set policy.

"This is one motion alongside dozens of others that will be discussed at what will be our biggest ever party conference.

“Greens do already, however, recognise the Palestinians’ right to resist the ongoing occupation by means compatible with international humanitarian law (IHL).

"It’s important to note that some actions taken in the name of resistance, including indiscriminate rocket attacks, do not comply with IHL and Greens condemn such actions unequivocally."