Britain's Green Party has formally adopted a new policy declaring itself an anti-Zionist party. During a vote on Sunday at the party's annual conference in Brighton, members passed a motion calling for Zionism, the movement for a Jewish state, to be treated as any other form of racism. The motion passed with 1,022 votes to 813.
The decision has caused divisions among top party figures and has dismayed the bulk of the party's MPs, with at least three out of five Green MPs opposing the move. As part of its new stance, the party supports the establishment of a single democratic Palestinian State in all of historic Palestine.
The move has drawn sharp criticism from the UK government, other political parties, and British Jews. UK Jewish groups stated that the motion stokes hatred following a string of attacks on their community, while some Jewish party members have expressed alarm.
The Israeli government condemned the move, stating it now views the party as a body that gives legitimacy to terrorism. Israel's president further declared that the policy is an antisemitic lie that deliberately endangers Jews and Israelis.