Zack Polanski says he will not overturn 'Zionism is racism' policy despite anti-Semitism row as he refuses to say Israel has a right to exist

Zack Polanski has ruled out trying to overturn a controversial Green Party policy that equates Zionism with racism - as he again refused to say Israel has a right to exist. The leader branded Zionism a 'racist ideology' synonymous with 'basic colonialism that has been responsible for ethnic cleansing of Palestinians, as he faced the cameras for the first time since the major anti-Semitism row engulfed his party. Mr Polanski has faced both internal and external criticism of his leadership after the Green Party conference in Brighton backed a motion describing Zionism as 'racism' in a vote Mr Polanski did not take part in. The policy called for Israel to be treated like apartheid-era South Africa and ultimately replaced by a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital. But appearing on the BBC 's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg he said while he did not agree with the policy it would remain for at least two years because it was the result of a democratic vote. 'I'm not going to try and overturn it. At the first available opportunity I do want to amend it. I want to move away from ''one state'' towards saying that Israelis and Palestinians should decide that future for themselves,' he said. Asked when he could act to change the policy he said not before 2028, adding: 'I'm not an out of control autocrat like some of the leaders of the Labour Party. 'I think if members have made a decision then I respect the democratic will of our members.' The Green Party leader said that the ideology that supports the creation of a homeland for Jews was synonymous with 'basic colonialism and racism' in Gaza and the West Bank Your browser does not support iframes. Asked if he believed that Israel had a right to exist he said: 'I don't think any country has a right to exist under international law.' 'There is no right to exist for any country ... people have a right to exist.' 'Even Israel, doesn't know its own borders. It's constantly invading other people's land. 'Also, there's no right to exist for any country. Ultimately, people have a right to exist, and what I'm sat here saying – and I don't think is in any way controversial – is I want Israelis and Palestinians to live together, side by side, to be able to self-determine themselves, to all be able to vote, to all be able to have freedom, the right to live in freedom and security.' Asked about whether he believed Zionism was racist, he cited thousands of deaths in Gaza at the hands of the Israeli Defence Force (IDF), saying: 'When you take that into account, the fact that they are being murdered because they are Palestinian, that is very obviously a racist ideology.' Asked about his views on Zionism more broadly, Mr Polanski, who is himself Jewish and grew up in a Zionist family, said that argument was 'semantics'. When it was pointed out that some people believed it was an ideology that searched for a safe homeland for Jews, he went on: 'I think that is what people think it means, but actually in practical application, which is what we are talking about here, that homeland has come at the cost of the Palestinian people. 'I want equal rights for Israelis and Palestinians. The practical application of Zionism has not resulted in that.' The decision taken at the party conference has seen the leader of the Jewish Greens, Vivien Lichtenstein, call for Mr Polanski to resign and say she is considering leaving the party. Labour has also issued an ultimatum to local Green groups it is currently in coalition with, telling them to disown the motion or lose the party's support. In response today Mr Polanski said: 'If Andy Burnham wants to make that happen then he needs to explain to communities that their bins won’t be collected, social services will collapse, libraries will be closed, because he’s more worried about defending the genocide he’s arming than actually working with Green councillors.' Just days after the conference decision, Mr Polanski suffered a further setback when he was defeated at the Holborn and St Pancras by-election. It came as a new poll showed Mr Polanski has slumped to his worst poll rating as Green leader amid the row. An October survey by Ipsos found 52 per cent of the public said they had an unfavourable view of the Green leader, up six points since September and the first time more than half the population had expressed a negative opinion of him. Just 16 per cent said they had a positive view of Mr Polanski and his overall rating has fallen to minus 36, the lowest rating of any national party leader. Much of the opposition to Mr Polanski is concentrated among older groups, the poll suggested. But he has also lost ground among under-35s, falling from a net score of plus 16 in April to just plus two. His support among people who voted Labour in 2024 has also plummeted, from a net favourability of plus seven in April to minus 24 in October. The Ipsos poll found Andy Burnham remained the only senior UK politician with an overall positive favourability score. The Prime Minister enjoys a net favourability score of plus eight, while Kemi Badenoch's score is minus 12 and Sir Ed Davey's is minus 15. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage's overall score is minus 31, with some 56 per cent of people saying they have an unfavourable view of him.