Jewish board condemns Greens over Zionism policy

The Board of Deputies of British Jews voted to condemn the Green Party of England and Wales as racist over the party’s conference policy on Zionism, prompting a rejection from the Greens and a call to other parties to avoid political deals unless the policy is reversed. The Board’s motion said the Greens had become a racist party by adopting what it described as an antisemitic platform. Four reports put the vote at 118-1. One report gave the tally as 188-1; the available accounts do not resolve the difference. The Board’s meeting was reported as taking place on Sunday, October 25. The motion followed the Green Party’s adoption at its conference earlier in October of a policy described in the reports as “Zionism is racism.” The party said the motion sets out political opposition to the displacement of Palestinians. The reports do not provide the full text of the Green Party’s conference resolution. The Board urged political parties not to make deals with the Greens unless they rejected the policy. For local coalitions, the motion specified that local party leadership must reject the policy and commit to overturning it. The Board also said it would support Green representatives...