Israel lashes out as UK’s Green Party formally defines Zionism as ‘racism’

Israel’s president declared that the ‘antisemitic lie’ deliberately endangers Jews and Israelis.Israel has reacted with anger after the United Kingdom’s Green Party voted to define Zionism as a form of racism.Israel, as well as British Jewish groups, lashed out on Sunday following the vote by the small political party. The Israeli government declared that it now views the left-leaning Greens as giving “legitimacy to terrorism”.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4UK tribunal confirms professor’s anti-Zionism is legally protected belieflist 2 of 4British parliament to debate Israeli influence on UK politics: What we knowlist 3 of 4Can a party be leftist and Zionist?list 4 of 4Israel’s Smotrich calls for ‘war’ in West Bank: Rhetoric or real threat?end of listThe Green Party, which received 6 percent of the vote in the UK’s national elections in 2024, said ⁠it regarded Zionism as “an ethnonationalist political project” and repeated its call for Britain’s Labour government to end all arms trade with Israel.In a swift response, Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the policy went “far beyond the boundaries of legitimate political debate” and called on other British political parties to condemn the resolution.“The Greens have adopted not only the green of Hamas, but also its ideology: the elimination of the State of Israel through armed struggle,” the ministry wrote on social media.Israeli President Isaac Herzog labelled the move “a disgrace and a shame”. Writing on social media, he said: “Those who claim the antisemitic lie that ‘Zionism is racism’ deliberately endanger Jews and Israelis everywhere.”Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid said it is “not Zionism that’s racism, it is the Green Party”.The Movement for Progressive Judaism, a British group, said: “The Green Party has made ⁠antisemitism party policy and become a racist party”.It added that the support of some Jews for the motion did not mean it would not be used to discriminate against others.Green Party leader Zack Polanski delivers a speech during day one of the Green Party annual conference on October 2, 2026 [Alishia Abodunde/Getty Images]During the vote, the Green Party also reaffirmed its “commitment to Palestinian liberation, the right of return, Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS), and a full arms embargo against Israel”.