Newcastle Labour is calling on Newcastle Green Party to make clear whether it supports or opposes the motion passed at the Green Party Conference declaring that “Zionism is racism”.
The motion was passed by Green Party members and has now become Green Party policy.
It is shameful to vote against a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine and to condemn the vast majority of British Jews and Jews around the world as racist for supporting Israel’s right to exist.
Newcastle Labour have been clear in condemning the suffering of Palestinian civilians and in supporting the right of Palestinians to peace, security, dignity and self-determination. Criticism of the actions of the Israeli Government must never be conflated with antisemitism.
But equally, Jewish people in Newcastle and across the country should not be made to feel that supporting Israel’s right to exist, or identifying as Zionist, means that they are racist.
This is not an abstract debate. Newcastle is a proudly diverse city with a long-established Jewish community, and political parties operating in our city have a responsibility to be clear about where they stand when questions of racism, discrimination and community cohesion arise.
There were senior figures within the Green Party who opposed this motion. Newcastle Green Party therefore has a straightforward opportunity to make its own position clear.
Does Newcastle Green Party support the motion passed at Green Party Conference declaring “Zionism is racism”, or does it oppose it?
Newcastle residents, and particularly members of our Jewish community, deserve a clear answer.