Yes, Zionism is racism

What the report says

Al Jazeera opinion writer Yara Hawari reports on a decision by the British Green Party at its annual conference in Brighton to recognize Zionism as racism. The motion, which described Zionism as an ethnonationalist political project, passed by 1,022 votes to 813 despite opposition from several party MPs and former leader Caroline Lucas. Hawari says the reaction in British public debate was swift and sharply critical, with accusations of antisemitism and concern for Jewish safety.

The article argues that the vote should be understood in the context of Zionism as a settler-colonial ideology tied to the displacement of Palestinians. It points to historical references by early Zionist figures and institutions, and says the Green Party’s position echoes an older international debate rather than introducing a new claim. Hawari notes that the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution in 1975 calling Zionism a form of racism, before that resolution was repealed in 1991 amid Cold War-era geopolitical shifts.

The piece places the Green Party move within wider British history and politics, saying it reflects a small but notable challenge to long-standing support for the creation of a Zionist state on Palestinian land. It also links the debate to the continuing war and humanitarian crisis in Palestine, while emphasizing that the motion did not create this history but named it.