Andy Burnham criticizes Green Party’s motion on Zionism
Andy Burnham has called on the Green Party to reverse its “completely wrong” conference vote declaring Zionism is racism, reports BritPanorama.
The prime minister stated that the controversial motion, which was voted for by members of the Green Party, “shouldn’t be supported in any way, shape or form,” and described the decision as demonstrating “terrible judgement on behalf of the Green Party.”
He urged Zack Polanski “to say that it will be reversed and it won’t be Green Party policy.” Burnham emphasized the importance of all political parties in the UK doing everything they can to support the two-state solution between Israel and Palestine.
The prime minister has faced pressure from within his party to rule out any potential coalition deal between Labour and the Greens. When asked if he would dismiss the prospect of collaborating with the Greens if they upheld such a policy, Burnham refrained from commenting on “any business about what might or might not happen in the future.”
The criticism arises as Mr. Polanski awaits the results of the crucial Holborn and St Pancras by-election, where he has been campaigning to become an MP. Counting is currently underway in what is regarded as a two-horse race between the Green Party leader and Labour’s candidate, Sagal Abdi-Wali.
The motion declares the Greens to be an “anti-Zionist party” and stipulates that Zionism, the movement to establish and protect a Jewish state in Israel, will be “treated as any other form of racism.”
Mr. Polanski abstained from the vote, having left the conference to continue campaigning in Keir Starmer’s former constituency. In the aftermath, the deputy leader of the Wales Green Party announced his resignation on Tuesday, stating that he had departed the party after seven years.
In a statement released late on Monday, Mr. Polanski affirmed that the Green Party will “not accept any exclusion” of individuals based on religion. “Antisemitism and criticism of the Israeli state are, and must always be, completely distinct – blurring the line between the two is not only wrong but antisemitic, and makes Jewish people less safe,” he asserted.
