I’ve been doing a little research into Lubna Speitan’s Zionism-is-Racism motion. It’s got the Zionist lobby in total meltdown, which means they see it as a very serious threat. Three amendments have already been tabled and there’s a counter-proposal motion (E03 ‘Building a Consensus in Support for Palestinian Liberation’). There are rumours that there could be further attempts to side line the motion at conference and concerns are being raised about a possible split in the party. Never the less, despite all the internal disputes, the Greens can claim that they are already leading the way on the issue of securing Palestinian autonomy through their policies (anti-Israel, anti-apartheid, anti-genocide, pro-economic sanctions, pro- withdrawal of military & diplomatic support). It is however fair to say, as we’ve all witnessed over many years, that what parties agree to do when not in government, isn’t always what they will deliver when in government, because there is often a split between what the membership expects and wants and what the parliamentary party will agree to deliver. My advice to Green Party members is, while policies like this are extremely important, this is just part of the process. Members must also be directly involved in candidate selections, and they must make sure that they pick their parliamentary representative very wisely.
Watching the above interview on Palestine Deep Dive, it’s clear that Lubna want’s us to see “the racist root core ideology that this occupation and oppression and genocide is built upon, and that is Zionism… you cannot treat a problem without knowing it’s root core.” She makes it clear that that our goal must be “to declare the party an anti-Zionist party, to reject the normalisation of the subjugation of Palestinian voices… to support the establishment of a single Palestinian state with equal rights for all and the right of return for all Palestinians and their descendants, to support and affirm our right to self-determination, to resists by all our available means under national law, accountability, reparations, for the deproscription of Palestine Action, and to support the demands of prisoners of Palestine… and call for the release of our prisoners, our Palestinian prisoners of conscience, including Marwan Barghouti”
Lubna explains however that there is a small group of Zionists within the Green party who have previously filibustered the motion at conference and have made false claims of anti-Semitism against the team. They’ve even gone so far as to report them to counter terrorism police, UK Lawyers for Israel and the Israeli Embassy (to see if they could bring some political influence to bear). Lubna tells us that the right wing press and the Jewish Board of Deputies (BOD) have also been on the attack, with the BOD even trying to pressure Starmer into taking action.
In a briefing to JBLOC, the team describes how political and media forces have also worked hard to vilify supporters of the ‘Zionism-is Racism’ motion as ‘hard left extremists’, ‘Corbynistas’, ‘Islamists’, ‘supporters of Hamas-terrorism’ and ‘anti-Semites,’ and there is some concern that this might turn some voters away from the party. However, in reality, what tends to happen with any policy shift is that some voters may decide to withdraw support (although I would hope they would not base that decision on a single policy) but there will be other voters who will be immediately drawn to supporting the Greens, for the same reason. However, hesitation and doubt doesn’t inspire confidence so to secure that extra support, I would suggest that the best course of action would be to be bold and principled, and a clear majority vote for this motion would demonstrate exactly that. I’d also like to add that I agree with the other guest in this interview when he reminds us that corporate media doesn’t always have the trust, or the influence, they claim. I recall, during the 2017 election campaign, how the gloves were off and the media were printing daily multiple page attacks on Corbyn and his supporters. Oddly enough, the more they attacked the more the Labour Party polling figures grew. It was a phenomenon that was never so clearly demonstrated before – a likeable, empathetic figure, with some rather interesting policies, being tarred and feathered by the British media and the political establishment, at a time when trust in the political establishment was extremely low, and the establishment lost that battle. We have seen this phenomenon repeated more recently with the Mamdani (Mayor of New York City) and El-Sayed (the Democratic nominee for Michigan) campaigns. Once again, trust in the establishment and their media allies is at an all time low in the US, and being principled and bold cuts through all the noise.
I also agree with the conclusion in the JBLOC briefing, that recent measures introduced by Ed Miliband are largely ‘ineffectual.’ It seems more likely that the intent was to take the wind out of the Green Party sails, especially as it begins to take the lead on Palestine. The fact of the matter is that Labour is anything but bold or principled when it comes to Palestine. Even now, after a genocide, they continue to supply arms and military support, as well as diplomatic cover, and they continue to push the two-state gimmick.
Lubna points out that this motion was drafted by Palestinians… “this is OUR voices at the table.” She explains that the motion has had proper legal input and it is supported by anti-Zionist Jewish members.
Thankfully, at the last conference, Green Party members voted in large numbers to reject an attempt to rule the motion out of order. However this triggered a sudden spate of technical issues that wasted 3hrs, then there were numerous votes of no confidence in the chair and every motion being heard would be dragged out unnecessarily, in an effort to stop Lubna’s motion from being heard. Once again, bringing the motion to conference continues to be beset with issues because now there’s a witch hunt and the party has already started to suspend members.
When asked, what does Zionism mean to you as a Palestinian? Lubna responds… “it’s the embodiment of every form of oppression… of racism, of fascism, of imperialism, of colonialism.. it’s endless, it’s genocide, it’s apartheid, it’s the demolishing of our homes, of our land, the slaughter of our people, the erasure of our identity, our culture… we are confronting not just an ideology but a practice… that extends far beyond Palestine” adding that Zionism is an expansionist project that threatens the entire world. Lubna points out, beyond Palestine, Lebanon, Syria and Iran, we now have a global threat… “it’s already occupied even our system here, you’ve got Palantir, the occupation of the NHS, the investments made… the Zionist lobby has captured even our own political arenas… I’m being hit by every aspect of the Zionist lobby, and this is British politics?… our basic civil liberties are now on the line, our right of freedom of speech and protest are also at risk. This should be a concern for everybody. If anyone wants to truly oppose oppression, state repression in all its forms, they should be opposing Israel and Zionism and hitting back with us, for all our sakes”
Incidentally, on the question of how the UK should deal with the over 2,000 UK nationals who enlisted in the IOF to go kill Palestinians, she is firm… “they should be imprisoned and held to account, and that should set a precedent for anyone else who enlists. It should be the case that if you even enlist in the IOF, you already have intent and you are participating in the erasure of our people.”
On the Zionist lobby, Lubna concludes that the lobby “is a mass propaganda machine.” She also calls out the disinformation constantly put out by our mainstream media. Lubna is clear, this motion is a way to finally address this pervasive false narrative…. “this is us refusing to be silent. This is us fighting back against weaponisation of anti-Semitism, with state repression… its not about the party politics or the leadership, this is about the Palestinian voices, this is about the people, and the people leading the people. We need to raise our hands and use our votes, here, to change the face of British politics.” Lubna explains that the motion has already been passed at union branches and even some party branches. She sees it as a movement that crosses all party boundaries and affiliations, and this fight will not stop until the Palestinian people are liberated.
Finally, some of our readers may be aware that there was a recent issue with a Novara article – Who Does the Green Party’s ‘Zionism Is Racism’ Motion Really Serve?, by Clare Hymer. This article took extracts from written responses to Novara questions put to Lubna and Greens 4 Palestine. It was felt that the article was misrepresentative in some way so, for the sake of clarity, I have been given permission to print the full exchange, without comment, for you below…
1) Why is your motion necessary? Does the party not already have policies which are materially geared towards the liberation of the Palestinian people?
This motion builds on the Green Party’s existing foundation on Palestine; recognising Israel as an apartheid state committing genocide, the IDF as a terrorist agency, supporting BDS, and calling for a British apology for the Balfour Declaration. But current policy is outdated: it fails to reject the two-state position and does not confront Zionism as the racist, settler-colonial ideology upon which Israel was built. This motion, drafted by Palestinians with legal input and interfaith support, updates our policy to reflect reality. It also clarifies that opposing Zionism is not opposing Jews; it protects Jewish people who reject this racist ideology from being conflated with it. We must name the root cause of Palestinian erasure if we are serious about liberation and equal rights for all.
2) Is there a clash, for you, between the moral and political need for this motion and the Green party’s strategy for winning over voters?
No, they are inseparable. Voters want a party they can trust to follow its democratic member-led process, not one where leadership or abuse of the party mechanism derails it based on personal views. Upholding our principles and internal democracy is part of winning trust. A party with a clear moral position is worthy of a vote. This motion has record-breaking support among members, it shows we are not divided on opposing racism and supporting liberation. Integrity of the party and its democratic process is central to our electoral credibility.
3) Some are saying the motion is about language, and is therefore a distraction from talking about material issues (including the Green party’s really great record on its policies on Palestine). What do you say to that?
Language is material. It was the language and propaganda of colonisers that normalised Anti-Palestinian Racism in our politics and society. This motion confronts that by naming it and reversing the harm created by it. Deflecting to “it’s just language” is another attempt to undermine the reality Palestinians face. Naming the root cause – Zionism as a racist ideology, is essential to understanding the problem and achieving true, lasting peace. That peace requires liberation, equal rights, return, accountability, and reparations. Naming Zionism is not a distraction from the genocide of Palestinians, it is the cause of it! Peace will prevail with justice. This motion builds on the party’s existing policies.
4) Do you think it’s a good thing that lots of the media is talking about this motion in the run up to conference and the by-election?
Yes, because it means the media and public are being forced to confront a reality they have for too long ignored: that Israel is an apartheid state and that Zionism is a racist ideology. Our members forced this debate through democratic processes, and the record level of support shows this is not a fringe issue. If the media is talking about it, that is a sign that our party is leading, not following, on justice and human rights. I welcome scrutiny, what I do not welcome is attempts to smear this motion as anti-Semitic when it explicitly distinguishes between opposition to Zionism and opposition to Jewish people. This is a moment for the Green Party to show it stands on the side of the oppressed, without exception. Our handbook (which includes the motion and its accompanying briefing paper) can be found at: https://greens4palestine.uk/press
5) What does supporting this motion say about what you think the Green party should be?
It says the Green Party should be a principled, anti-racist, anti-colonial party that does not flinch from naming injustice, even when it is ‘uncomfortable’ or ‘controversial’. It should be member-led and democratic, not swayed by leadership preferences or media pressure. It should stand in solidarity with oppressed peoples, including Palestinians, and refuse to normalise apartheid, genocide, or settler colonialism. Supporting this motion says the Green Party should be a party of moral clarity, where human rights are not negotiable and where we confront the root causes of injustice, not just their symptoms. This makes the Green Party one we can believe in, and a party voters can trust.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Hey, why not BUY ME A COFFEE if you appreciate this post, or, better still, take out a MONTHLY SUBSCRIPTION and support our work. Even if you can only commit to £1 a month, it all helps folks!
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
