‘You arm a genocide’: Jewish Green leader fires back after UK PM condemns Zionism motion as antisemitic

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham ruled out any future partnership between his Labour Party and the Greens on Wednesday after the Green Party adopted a resolution defining Zionism as racism, prompting a furious response from Jewish Green leader Zack Polanski, who accused the prime minister of supporting what he called a genocide in Gaza. Speaking during Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons, Burnham condemned the resolution as antisemitic and pledged that Labour would not cooperate with the Greens while the policy remained in place. The resolution was approved on October 4 at the Green Party's annual conference in Brighton, with 1,022 members voting in favor and 813 against, a majority of approximately 56%. It declares the Greens an anti-Zionist party, defines Zionism as support for an ethnonationalist Jewish state and commits the party to treating Zionism as a form of racism. The motion also endorses the establishment of a single democratic Palestinian state throughout what it calls historic Palestine, with Jerusalem as its capital. Critics say that proposal would mean ending Israel's existence as a Jewish state. Burnham: ‘It is wrong, it is antisemitic’ The dispute erupted in Parliament after Conservative lawmaker Dame Harriett Baldwin challenged Burnham to rule out cooperation with the Greens. The prime minister responded by unequivocally condemning the motion, calling it wrong and antisemitic and declaring that Labour would have nothing to do with it. He said Labour could not support a partnership with a party that had adopted such a position. The remarks marked a hardening of Burnham's previous stance. During a visit to Berlin on October 8, he had urged the Green leadership to reverse the resolution but stopped short of categorically ruling out a future coalition. His latest comments effectively closed the door on cooperation between the two parties for as long as the Greens maintain the controversial policy. Polanski: ‘You arm a genocide’ Polanski, who is Jewish and identifies as anti-Zionist, responded angrily to Burnham's remarks in a post on X. He described himself as Britain's only Jewish political party leader, said he experiences antisemitism daily and insisted that Jewish people are welcome in the Green Party. Turning his criticism on Burnham, Polanski accused him of supporting Israel's military campaign in Gaza, writing: "You're a prime minister who arms a genocide and locks pensioners up for opposing it." He also accused Burnham of a "dangerous and irresponsible blurring of challenging Israel and antisemitism." Polanski argued that Labour's previous expressions of regret over its handling of Gaza had been performative and accused Burnham of continuing to support Israel despite Palestinian civilian deaths. His accusations reflected the growing confrontation between the two leaders over Israel, Zionism and the boundaries between criticism of Israeli policy and antisemitism. A Jewish leader divided from his own party Polanski did not participate in the vote on the controversial resolution, having left the Green Party conference to campaign in the Holborn and St Pancras parliamentary by-election. He has since acknowledged disagreeing with parts of the resolution while expressing agreement with its underlying criticism of Zionism. The proposal also divided senior Green figures, with four of the party's five MPs opposing it. Polanski's position became a focus of attention following his defeat in last week's by-election, held in the central London constituency vacated by former Labour leader and prime minister Keir Starmer. Labour candidate Sagal Abdi-Wali won the seat, while Polanski finished second. Speaking after the result, Polanski explained that he had grown up in a Zionist household and had been taught to view the land as largely uninhabited before Jewish settlement. He said that further study had changed his understanding, leading him to conclude that Palestinian displacement and what he described as an ongoing genocide were rooted in racism. However, he stopped short of endorsing the precise wording adopted by his party, particularly its attempt to prescribe a single-state political solution. Israel bans Polanski from entering the country The resolution has also triggered a diplomatic confrontation with Israel. Following its approval, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar announced that Polanski would be barred from entering Israel. Sa'ar described the Green Party's decision as a stain on British history and condemned it as overtly antisemitic. The controversy comes as the Greens seek to expand their influence in British politics, having emerged as a significant force in recent opinion polls. Their newly adopted position has placed the party at odds not only with Israel and Jewish organizations but also with senior figures within Britain's governing Labour Party. For Burnham, the resolution has become a clear political red line. For Polanski, it has created a confrontation that pits his outspoken opposition to Zionism against allegations that his party has crossed the boundary into antisemitism. The clash leaves the Greens facing a difficult internal dispute over their position on Israel, even as their leader seeks to establish the party as a major player in British politics.