Members of the youth wing of the Green Party have reportedly proposed guidance stating that supporting the "right to resist occupation" should not be treated as antisemitic.
The proposed guidance set to be debated and voted on at the Young Greens' annual summer conference in London on July 18 and 19 also argues that opposition to Zionism and support for boycotting Israeli goods should not be classed as antisemitic.
According to reports in the Telegraph, the guidance makes no distinction between peaceful and violent resistance.
A text circulated by the Young Greens explaining the proposals states: “A robust antisemitism framework must be both genuinely protective of Jewish members and genuinely protective of free political expression including Palestinian solidarity, criticism of Israeli state policy, and anti-Zionist political analysis.
“[Current guidance] is unfit for purpose and should not be reinstated: it cites politically loaded authorities as neutral scholars and frames anti-Zionism as presumptively suspicious.”
According to the Telegraph, the Young Greens group currently use internal disciplinary guidance on antisemitism which references both the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition, formally adopted by the Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrat parties, and the Jerusalem Declaration on Antisemitism.
The IHRA definition states that denying the Jewish people the right to self-determination, applying double standards to Israel, or drawing comparisons between Israel and Nazi Germany can constitute antisemitism.
Developed as an alternative to the IHRA definition, the Jerusalem Declaration argues that antizionism is not antisemitic.
Jewish campaigners have warned that the proposed changes would make the Green Party less safe for young Jewish members.
The Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “Once again, a faction in UK politics is trying to redefine antisemitism to suit its views.
“Young Greens should actually consult a representative of the mainstream Jewish community,” CAA added.
“Attachment to Israel is at the heart of Jewish identity, and the effort to sever that connection is at the core of contemporary antisemitism,” the spokesperson went on.
Alex Hearn, co-director of Labour Against Antisemitism, accused the Young Greens of attempting to "delegitimise the very notion of antisemitism."
It is the latest in a series of reports about how members of Zack Polanski’s Green Party have disputed measures meant to keep the Jewish community safe.
Earlier this month, the Global Majority Greens (GMG), which has connections to the Green Deputy Leader Mothin Ali, alleged the party has created a “hierarchy of racism”, with antisemitism prioritised over other forms of discrimination.
The GMG accused the Greens of “performing anti-racism” and stated that ethnic minority members – especially Muslims and supporters of “Palestinian liberation” – had been targeted by the party’s disciplinary processes as a result of “media attacks”.
GMG’s report claimed that while “antisemitism allegations are treated with exceptional urgency”, other forms of discrimination are not.
It warned that “Global Majority, Muslim and Palestinian solidarity members” are the most likely to “bear the consequences” of failed governance.
The JC approached the Green Party for comment.
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