Vivien Lichtenstein says the party leader should stand down after missing the conference vote, as former leader Caroline Lucas criticises a lack of leadership.
Vivien Lichtenstein, leader of the Jewish Greens, has called on Zack Polanski to resign as Green Party leader over a new policy equating Zionism with racism. The policy was adopted at the party’s conference in Brighton, in a debate and vote that Mr Polanski did not attend. He was campaigning in the Holborn and St Pancras by-election, where he finished second to Labour. Caroline Lucas, the party’s former leader and first MP, has also criticised his absence.
The motion and the vote
The motion passed by 1,022 votes to 813 and made opposition to Zionism formal party policy. It states that Zionism is racism and calls for Israel to be replaced by a single Palestinian state. It also supports a single democratic state across historic Palestine, with equal rights for all.
Mr Polanski was campaigning when the motion was debated on Sunday. In interviews after the by-election, he said he would have voted against it had he been there. He supported two amendments, including one calling for a two-state solution rather than a single Palestinian state, but both were voted down.
‘I think he should resign’
Speaking to Times Radio, Ms Lichtenstein said that even though Mr Polanski was campaigning, he should have spoken and voted for the amendments online, which was an option. “He should have done that,” she said. “And I think that was a big mistake on his part.”
She said she was surprised to hear Mr Polanski say he had been working with Jewish members of the party. “I don’t know which Jewish members of the party he’s been working with,” she said. “It certainly hasn’t been with the Jewish Greens committee.”
Asked whether he should continue in the role, she replied: “No, I think he should resign.” Ms Lichtenstein had earlier said she was considering leaving the Green Party of England and Wales following the vote.
Criticism from senior figures
Ms Lucas said on Thursday that Mr Polanski “should have been there and he should have voted”. Speaking to Newsnight before the by-election result, she said she had hoped he would be “a very strong critic of this motion”, which she described as “flawed from top to bottom”. She added: “It’s dangerous, it’s divisive, it tries to have a singular definition of Zionism when we know that there are many.”
Asked whether he should stand down, Ms Lucas did not say definitively that he should stay. “I think let’s just see what happens in the … coming days and weeks,” she said. “I want him to show the leadership that was frankly missing on Sunday. I think the jury is out about whether or not he will do that, but I very much hope he will. But that is a long way from full-throated support.”
Jonathan Bartley, formerly co-leader with Ms Lucas and now a councillor in Lambeth, south London, told the BBC the vote was “a failure of leadership from Zack” and that there was “a certain toxicity now from the Green party”. He called on Mr Polanski to “put his hands up” and apologise.
Wider reaction
The party’s five MPs, Mr Polanski, the deputy leaders and Green peers issued a joint statement saying discrimination and harassment would not be tolerated. They argued that supporting Palestinian rights was compatible with protecting the rights of Jewish people.
The policy has also drawn criticism abroad. The European Green Party said the motion conflicted with its own policy, and a German Green co-leader described it as unacceptable.
Some Green members have reportedly consulted lawyers about whether the policy could breach the Equality Act 2010. Barrister Adam Wagner KC warned of potential discrimination risks affecting people who hold Zionist beliefs and Jewish people more broadly. No court has ruled on its legality.
Mr Polanski has defended the distinction between anti-Zionism and antisemitism, arguing the party must protect Jewish communities while supporting Palestinian rights. Critics, including Ms Lichtenstein, say the policy could leave Jewish members who identify as Zionist feeling excluded.
Can a Green leader be removed?
There is no formal mechanism for ejecting a leader of the Greens. However, leaders are re-elected every two years. Mr Polanski, who took over in September 2025, will therefore have to face party members again in less than a year.
