Kirstie Allsopp has criticised Green Party leader Zack Polanski after the party voted to classify Zionism as a form of racism. The Location, Location, Location presenter took to X to voice her opposition to the motion passed at the party's annual conference in Brighton.
The controversial motion saw 1,022 votes in favour and 813 against. Israel has since barred Polanski from entering the country, accusing the Green Party of legitimising "the destruction of the State of Israel" with a "clear antisemitic text".
Allsopp's Response
Allsopp wrote on X: "I believe in the right of the state of Israel to exist, therefore I am a Zionist, therefore, according to the Green Party, I am a racist. I will keep to myself what I think they are, but electorally they're toast. The motion was not to condemn Netanyahu, which I would do with bells on, it was to condemn Zionism, full stop."
In a separate post, she added: "God, it's going to be satisfying seeing Zack Polanski get his just desserts on Thursday (October 15)."
Motion Details and Reaction
Polanski did not take part in the vote, having left the conference after his speech on Friday to campaign in next week's Holborn and St Pancras by-election. In a statement with Green MPs and his deputies, he said there is "no conflict between supporting the rights of Palestinians and the rights of Jewish people".
The motion, brought forward by the members' group Greens 4 Palestine, defines Zionism as a political ideology advocating "an ethno-nationalist Jewish State" and calls for the establishment of a single Palestinian state with equal rights for all citizens, including Jewish people. It also states that Zionism should be "treated as any other form of racism", which critics point out could include practicing Jews and members of synagogues across Britain, making it impossible for them to join the Greens.
Leadership Statement
Following the vote, a joint statement said: "As Green Party leaders and MPs, we will always uphold universal human rights. We will never tolerate any form of discrimination or harassment. We will continue to stand in opposition to genocide, ethnic cleansing, apartheid and the illegal occupation. We will continue to call out the heinous crimes of the Netanyahu government. And we will continue to work to ensure that the Green Party is an anti-racist party in every way. We know there is no conflict between supporting the rights of Palestinians and the rights of Jewish people."
The Green Party's existing policy has supported either a one-state or two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict if achieved through a democratic process. The newly approved motion specifically calls for a single Palestinian state and does not advocate a two-state settlement.
