Two former leaders of the Green Party have criticised a motion calling for Zionism to be formally defined as racism, warning that the proposal could prove divisive and undermine the party’s stated commitment to equal rights for Israelis and Palestinians.
The motion, titled “Zionism is Racism”, is being debated at the Green Party conference in Brighton this weekend. If approved by members, it would make the definition part of the party’s official policy.
Caroline Lucas, who became the Green Party’s first MP after being elected in 2010, said she had “serious concerns” about the proposal.
“I do have serious concerns about this motion,” Lucas told the BBC.
“There is no single definition of Zionism, and irrespective of the intentions of the people who put that motion forward, I think there is a real risk that it’ll be divisive and could be seen as a sign that Jewish people aren’t welcome in the party. I will not be supporting it for that reason.”
Adrian Ramsay, who became the party’s first male MP after winning the newly created Waveney Valley constituency at the 2024 general election, also opposed the proposal.
The former Green leader told The Times that the party already had a clear position on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and should avoid adopting a policy that could be interpreted as denying either side’s right to statehood.
“The Green Party has a strong position already on challenging the government and I think it would just be wrong to adopt a policy that could be seen as not supporting the rights of both Israelis and Palestinians to statehood,” Ramsay said.
“I stand by the position the Green Party had in the 2024 manifesto, on which I was elected which made clear we want to see equal rights for Israelis and Palestinians.”
The dispute places the Greens in a debate over how the party defines Zionism and distinguishes opposition to Israeli government policy from criticism of the political movement associated with the establishment of Israel.
Supporters of the motion argue that Zionism should be understood through its historical and political consequences, while opponents have raised concerns about the breadth of the term and the implications of formally defining it as racist.
Lucas and Ramsay’s interventions are significant because both previously led the party and remain prominent figures within the Green movement.
Lucas became the Greens’ first MP when she won Brighton Pavilion in 2010 and subsequently served as the party’s leader. Ramsay was elected alongside Carla Denyer in 2024, giving the Greens four MPs after the election and making him the party’s first male MP.
The conference debate comes amid wider tensions within British politics over the Israel-Gaza conflict, with political parties facing competing demands over how they address Israel’s actions, Palestinian statehood and allegations of antisemitism.
The Green Party has previously backed Palestinian statehood and called for equal rights, while its members are now being asked to consider whether Zionism itself should be categorised as racism in party policy.
The outcome of the conference vote will determine whether the proposed definition becomes official Green Party policy.
For Lucas and Ramsay, however, the central issue is whether such a definition risks undermining the principle they say should remain at the heart of the party’s position: equal rights for Israelis and Palestinians.
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