Local Green Party Councillors Reject National Zionism Policy
Green Party councillors in North Somerset and Cherwell have rejected a national party motion labeling Zionism as racism to avoid political fallout and maintain local partnerships.
Local Green Party councillors in North Somerset and Cherwell have publicly distanced themselves from a national party policy stating that Zionism is racism. The motion passed at a recent national conference with a vote of 1,022 to 813 and advocated for a single democratic Palestinian state in all of historic Palestine.
In North Somerset, Bridget Petty, leader of the local Green group, issued an open letter rejecting the policy to preserve a seven-year power-sharing agreement with the Labour Party. The move followed an ultimatum from Labour group leader Catherine Gibbons, who demanded the councillors disown the motion. While Mike Bell, the Liberal Democrat leader of the administration, expressed satisfaction with the decision, Conservative leader Michael Pryke argued the partnership should have ended regardless, stating that antisemitism is not a matter for local discretion.
Similarly, the Cherwell District Council Green Group issued a joint statement rejecting the motion as counterproductive to the fight against antisemitism. The group explicitly condemned the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks while maintaining opposition to the current Israeli government's actions in Gaza and the West Bank.
The national policy drew sharp criticism from the Board of Deputies of British Jews. President Phil Rosenberg described the claim that Zionism is racism as absurd, characterizing Zionism instead as the national liberation movement of the Jewish people.
