Polly has published a statement condemning a motion passed by the Green Party. She said:
I am deeply concerned that the Green Party has formally adopted a policy that denies Israeli and Palestinian self-determination, calls for Israel to be replaced by a single Palestinian state, and defines as racist any belief that Israel has a right to exist as a safe haven for Jewish people.
Let me be clear: I abhor the actions of the Israeli government. Since being elected, I have repeatedly criticised Israel’s human rights abuses and pushed for tougher action to stop the war in Gaza.
But this motion does nothing to advance peace. By explicitly rejecting a two-state solution, it rejects the position of the Palestinian Authority and the wishes of a majority of Palestinians. It also creates a situation in which Jewish Green Party members could face disciplinary action for believing that Israel has a right to exist.
It is particularly disgraceful that the Greens rejected an amendment that would have made clear that Jewish members should not face disciplinary procedures because of this belief.
Politics is about leadership. Zack Polanski could have spoken out against this motion. Instead, he doubled down on the claim that supporting a safe and secure Israel is racist. When the time came to take responsibility, he left Green Party conference early and said he was too busy to vote on the motion online. That is a cowardly abdication of responsibility.
By adopting this motion as official party policy, the Green Party has ignored the wishes of Palestinians and Jewish communities in the UK while stoking prejudice and division. Zack Polanski now has serious questions to answer about his commitment to Israeli and Palestinian self-determination and to tackling antisemitism in the UK.
I would urge the Thanet Greens to make clear they do not support this motion and that Jewish party members in our community will not face sanction for believing in Israel’s right to exist.