Motion passed 1,022 votes to 813 at Brighton conference

Green Party members passed the motion, titled "Zionism is racism", on Sunday at the party's annual conference in Brighton, by 1,022 votes to 813. The primary motion had been pushed by the group Greens for Palestine, which encouraged non-party members to sign up to the party so that the policy would be debated and adopted. It is now formal policy for the Greens in England and Wales.

• •In earlier voting, members backed an amendment ensuring other parts of Green policy were updated to take account of the motion.
• •Three other amendments were voted down.
• •One of the three stated the motion should not be used to pressure, proscribe or discipline members based on affiliation with Jewish community institutions.

What the policy commits the party to

The motion calls for Zionism, the movement for a Jewish state, to be treated as any other form of racism. It also calls for a single Palestinian state in place of Israel, with equal rights for all. Its argument is that Zionism is necessarily racist because it privileges one ethnic group on the basis of the subjugation of others.

• •The motion states it targets the political ideology and practice of Zionism as defined, and not the religious or ethnic background of people who identify as Zionists.
• •It notes that not all Jews are Zionists and not all Zionists are Jews.
• •Zionism as defined is to be treated like any other racism and implemented by the anti-racism policy working group, as appropriate and in accordance with its ordinary practice.

Zack Polanski missed the vote and defended the motion's argument

Party leader Zack Polanski, who is Jewish, missed the vote to campaign in Holborn and St Pancras, where he is standing in a parliamentary byelection next week. Some senior Greens feel he could have taken a stronger stance on the issue. Polanski has justified the motion's argument by pointing to the extent of the death toll in Gaza during Israel's assault on the territory. Asked on Saturday whether he believed Zionism was racist, he told the BBC:

Four of five MPs condemn motion, Jewish members weigh response

Four of the party's five MPs condemned the motion, as did Caroline Lucas, the former leader who was the Greens' first MP. Adrian Ramsay, who co-led the Greens before Polanski, said in a statement he would vote against it, because it set out what sort of Palestinian state should exist without taking into account the self-determination of Israelis and Palestinians. MP Siân Berry made the same point.

Bristol Central MP Carla Denyer, who was co-leader with Ramsay, said the wording of the motion:

MP Ellie Chowns said the motion risks fuelling division and undermining the party's ability to advocate effectively for justice and peace. In a statement, she said Zionism is a contested concept with no single definition, and that if the motion passed the party risks alienating many people, including in Jewish communities. She also said that defining a highly personal and variable identity simply as racism risks reinforcing the zero-sum politics she argued the party needs to get beyond.

Some Jewish Greens have said privately they fear the policy could make it difficult for them to remain in the party. A poll by the group Jewish Greens found its membership was split over whether to oppose the motion, and 81% of respondents said they did not identify as Zionist. The group is expected to comment publicly on the vote only after consulting its members.