His comments come after Green Party members voted by 1,022 votes to 813 for a policy that equated Zionism with racism, backed Palestinian resistance “by all available means, including armed struggle” and called for Israel to be replaced by a single Palestinian state.
Green Party leader Zack Polanski abstained in the vote.
The Oxford English Dictionary defines Zionism as “a movement among Jewish people for the re-establishment of a Jewish nation in Palestine” and “a movement for the development and protection of the state of Israel”, as well as advocacy or support for the movement.
That definition does not refer to occupation, settlements, borders, alleged Jewish supremacy, the displacement of Palestinians or the policies of any particular Israeli government.
Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mark Rowley (L) walks with Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis (2R) as they visit Golders Green after two Jewish people were stabbed, April 29, 2026 (Credit: JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP via Getty Images)AFP via Getty Images
Since his appointment to the post in September 2022, and particularly after October 7, Rowley has maintained regular engagement with Jewish community leaders, including meetings with the Board of Deputies, Jewish Leadership Council and Community Security Trust, as well as visits to synagogues and meetings with Jewish families.
Writing for the JC last year ahead of the second anniversary of the Hamas-led attacks, Rowley said it was “utterly unacceptable that Jewish communities in London should live in fear”, promising that “you are not alone”.
His relationship with parts of the Jewish community has also been marked by periods of tension, particularly over the policing of pro-Palestinian demonstrations and concerns about rising antisemitism.
