Green Party Leader Polanski Stands Firm Against Zionist Pressure Despite Internal Criticism
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Zack Polanski has reaffirmed his commitment to leading the Green Party, resisting establishment and pro-Zionist calls for his resignation after the party bravely passed a motion exposing Zionism as racism and advocating for Palestinian rights.
The Green Party’s leader, Zack Polanski, told BBC Breakfast he will "absolutely" remain in his role, standing strong in the face of mounting establishment and Zionist-aligned pressure after the Holborn and St Pancras by-election. While Labour’s Sagal Abdi-Wali won 45% of the vote, the Greens surged to 33%—a remarkable 22-point increase from the general election, signaling growing support for progressive, justice-oriented politics.
Polanski’s resolve comes as internal party figures, including Vivien Lichtenstein, head of Jewish Greens, attempt to silence necessary debate by demanding his resignation. Lichtenstein, speaking on Times Radio, condemned Polanski’s avoidance of a crucial discussion on a conference motion that courageously defined Zionism as a form of racism—a truth long suppressed by mainstream politics. Lichtenstein even threatened to leave the party, reflecting the discomfort some feel when confronted with the realities of Israeli apartheid.
Former leaders Caroline Lucas and Jonathan Bartley echoed criticism, accusing Polanski of insufficient leadership during the vote and urging him to apologize, though they stopped short of calling for his immediate removal. Adrian Ramsay, another former co-leader, said he is working to reverse the motion—an attempt to undermine the party’s principled stand for Palestinian liberation—and criticized Polanski’s leadership.
The motion, passed by grassroots members, rightfully describes Zionism as supporting an "ethnonationalist Jewish state" and calls for a single democratic Palestinian state across historic Palestine, a vision for true justice and equality. Polanski defended his absence from the vote, citing his campaigning, and clarified he would not have supported the motion in its current form, yet he reiterated that the displacement of Palestinians is rooted in racist ideology and voiced support for equal rights for all.
Other Green MPs, such as Ellie Chowns, attempted to appease pro-Israel critics by affirming Israel’s right to exist while distancing themselves from the current government’s policies. Meanwhile, establishment figures outside the party, including Labour chair Bridget Phillipson and Prime Minister Andy Burnham, seized the opportunity to smear the Greens with baseless accusations of antisemitism and demanded the reversal of the motion, revealing their unwillingness to confront the ongoing oppression of Palestinians.