Zack Polanski was tonight facing an internal revolt amid the anti-Semitism crisis engulfing his Green Party.
Phil Davies, the party’s Welsh deputy leader, quit and cancelled his membership on Tuesday evening after the passing of a policy motion declaring ‘Zionism is racism’.
He left his role in the wake of the seismic vote at the Greens’ conference in Brighton at the weekend, which he described as ‘the final nail in the coffin for me’.
Opponents claim the motion effectively calls for the eradication of Israel as it refers only to a single Palestinian state.
A storm of criticism has also seen the Mr Polanski’s Greens branded ‘an extremist party’ with the motion described as an ‘attack’ on the Jewish community.
Posting on Instagram, Mr Davies wrote: ‘This motion to me achieves nothing materially to help people in Palestine and, by committing us to a single-state solution, acts against one of our four pillars of Green Politics of Grassroots Democracy.
‘It feels very imperialistic to me for us in the UK to be telling people in the Middle East what their futures should look like.’
Anthony Slaughter, the Green leader in the Welsh Senedd, also criticised the passing of the motion unamended by party members.
Zack Polanski has attempted to stem the anti-Semitism crisis engulfing his Green Party by insisting he will ‘protect the rights’ of both Palestinians and British Jews
Green activists and pro-Israel supporters clash outside the party’s conference in Brighton on Saturday
‘I do not believe it’s appropriate for the Green Party to be calling for a one-state solution,’ Mr Slaughter said in a statement.
Amid the furious backlash at the motion, the Greens have been reported to both the police and the UK’s equalities watchdog over events at the conference in Brighton.
The US is also set to make ‘representations’ to the Government over the Greens’ adoption of the motion, Washington’s top adviser on anti-Semitism has said.
Mr Polanski, who is currently fighting the Holborn and St Pancras by-election, did not directly address the row for more than 24 hours as he focused on his bid to be an MP.
But in a statement issued on Monday night, the Green leader – who is Jewish – later said his party would ‘not accept any exclusion’ of people based on religion.
‘Anti-Semitism and criticism of the Israeli state are, and must always be, completely distinct – blurring the line between the two is not only wrong but anti-Semitic, and makes Jewish people less safe,’ he said.
‘It’s our role as a movement for justice to protect both the rights of Palestinians and our Jewish communities here in the UK.
‘As leader I will not accept any exclusion, or refusal to engage with anyone, because of the religious or communal body they are part of.
‘I take seriously my responsibility to make sure everyone feels safe and welcome in our party.
‘Under my leadership, no one will be made unwelcome because of their background, their faith or where they worship.’
The Green Party leader continued: ‘My role is to bring people together and ensure we are all working in unity for the things we believe in and care about: freedom and safety for all.
‘I am proud of our party’s principled position on fighting for freedom and justice for Palestinians.
‘Through the Green Party’s unified stance and dedicated pressure, we have begun to shift this Government away from its complicity with the Israeli government’s atrocities in Gaza, with the Foreign Secretary now taking the long overdue step of ending trade with illegal settlements.
‘When I was elected leader of the Green Party of England and Wales, I was so proud to stand as a Jewish party leader, side by side with my deputy leaders Mothin (Ali) and Rachel (Millward).
‘Together, we exemplify everything this party stands for: we come from different backgrounds, faiths and traditions but we share our deeply held values of compassion, fairness and equality for all.’
Green members in Brighton on Sunday backed the motion with 1,022 votes in favour and 813 against.
It declares the Greens to be an ‘anti-Zionist party’ and sets into its policy that Zionism, the movement to develop and protect a Jewish state in Israel, will be ‘treated as any other form of racism’.
It also supports the establishment of a ‘single democratic Palestinian State in all of historic Palestine with Jerusalem as its capital’.
Supporters chanted ‘say it loud, say it clear, Zionists are not welcome here’ as the campaigners behind the motion, Greens for Palestine, gathered to speak to the media.
Mr Polanski was asked in a BBC interview on Saturday – before the motion was debated by Green members – whether the reference to a single Palestinian state was effectively calling for the eradication of Israel.
The Green leader said he was ‘calling for an amendment’ to the motion ‘because what I want to see is equal rights for Israelis and Palestinians’.
However, the main amendment to remove the commitment to a one-state solution was rejected by Green members in a vote that Mr Polanski skipped in order to continue his campaign in Holborn and St Pancras.
In the same BBC interview, the Green leader failed to state that Israel has a right to exist.
‘I believe that people have a right to exist,’ he said when pressed for an answer. ‘Both Israelis have a right to exist. Palestinians have a right to exist.’
A group of Labour MPs have asked Sussex Police to examine events at the Greens’ gathering in Brighton over the weekend.
They have also urged the Equalities and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) to investigate possible discrimination of Jewish members.
A spokesman for Sussex Police said: ‘We can confirm we have received a letter and are reviewing its contents to determine the appropriate next steps.’
The EHRC said it ‘receives complaints each week about allegations of unlawful activity contrary to the Equality Act 2010’.
‘We consider each complaint carefully and take action where appropriate,’ a spokeswoman added.