Zack Polanski stands firm on Zionism motion amid growing criticism
Zack Polanski has insisted his party’s motion describing zionism as racism “isn’t controversial” and has stated he won’t attempt to amend it until 2028, reports BritPanorama.
The Green Party leader has faced calls from his own members to resign in recent weeks following the passing of the motion, which has been condemned across the political spectrum. His approval ratings have since plummeted, with his overall rating falling to minus 36, marking him as the lowest popular national leader.
On Sunday, Mr Polanski denied that the motion is controversial, stating, “I think what’s controversial is that 75,000 Palestinians have been murdered in the last few years, including more child amputees than ever in modern history.” He initially sought amendments to the motion prior to the vote, which were rejected by party members.
When asked if he intended to overturn the motion, he clarified, “I’m not going to try and overturn it. At the first available opportunity, I do want to amend it. I want to move away from one state towards saying that Israelis and Palestinians should decide that future themselves.” However, he specified that such changes could not occur until 2028, explaining, “You can’t within the rules. So when you vote on something in our party conference, that’s then policy for two years.”
He further justified his adherence to the party’s rules, remarking, “I’m not an out of control autocrat like some of the leaders of the Labor Party. I think if members have made a decision, then I respect the democratic will of our members.”
Mr Polanski has endured both internal and external criticism following the Green Party conference in Brighton, where the motion describing Zionism as “racism” was supported by approximately 1,000 members while around 800 members voted against it.
In the aftermath, Vivien Lichtenstein, leader of the Jewish Greens, has called for Mr Polanski’s resignation, asserting he made a “big mistake” by missing the debate surrounding the motion. This sentiment has been echoed by several senior Green figures, with former leader Caroline Lucas accusing him of failing in his leadership duties and others suggesting the situation is “untenable”.
A survey by Ipsos conducted in October revealed that 52 percent of the public now hold an unfavourable view of Mr Polanski, a six-point increase since September. This marks the first occasion where over half the population has expressed a negative opinion of him, while only 16 percent reported a positive view.
As the political landscape evolves, Mr Polanski’s decisions and the Green Party’s future direction remain significant points of contention and scrutiny within UK politics.
