Sultana sparks ‘anti-Zionism’ row with Polanski’s Greens
Coventry South MP attempts to win back suppport of pro-Palestine activists after shambolic Your Party launch
Zarah Sultana has stressed her support for “the politics of anti-Zionism,” framing it as a key distinction between the left-wing Your Party and the Greens under Zack Polanski’s leadership.
In remarks clearly aimed at slowing the Greens’ growing support among pro-Palestine activists, Sultana stated: “We are the only anti-Zionist party in the UK. The Greens are not an anti-Zionist party; they want to continue diplomatic relations with a genocide and apartheid state.
“The majority of people in this country who have been demonstrating for Palestine, who’ve been boycotting, who’ve been divesting, find that completely unacceptable.”
The Coventry South MP emphasised that Your Party supports severing “all diplomatic ties” with Israel.
In an interview with PoliticsJoe, Sultana also said: “Then there is the point around NATO as well, and I think at the heart of that is the politics of anti-Zionism and anti-imperialism.”
However, the launch of Your Party has been troubled by internal disputes, including indications of a fallout between Sultana and co-leader Jeremy Corbyn.
In July, Sultana announced she was forming the party with Corbyn upon resigning from Labour, only for the Islington North MP to insist that talks were “ongoing.”
Sultana also appeared to criticize Corbyn’s handling of antisemitism allegations as Labour leader, arguing he had “capitulated” by adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition.
Tensions escalated further when Sultana unilaterally launched Your Party’s first membership portal and accused Corbyn and four other independent MPs in the group of running a “sexist boys’ club.”
On anti-Zionism, Corbyn has repeatedly declined to confirm whether he supports this position.
By contrast, under Polanski’s leadership, the Greens have seen a surge in membership, with the latest YouGov voting intention poll putting the party just one point behind Labour, at 16 percent.
At the party’s annual conference earlier this month, a motion, supported by the leader, was passed calling for the Israeli military to be banned as a terrorist organisation and for Britain to apologise for the Balfour Declaration.
Members also called for “a UN peacekeeping force in the West Bank & Gaza to ensure the safety of Palestinian residents”.
Other Green demands include to “support and resource the international case of genocide against Israel at the International Criminal Court” and to “implement a full arms embargo on Israel”.
Polanski, who describes himself as proudly Jewish and gay, has said he is “certainly not a Zionist,” adding that his views have changed because “Israel has changed.”
In 2020, Polanski had expressed a more mainstream stance, supporting the IHRA definition of antisemitism to “send a clear message to Jewish communities both in the party and in the wider world that we stand in solidarity with them.”
However, after the October 7 Hamas attacks and Israel’s subsequent response, he has accused the Netanyahu government of “committing war crimes” and “genocide.”
Your Party faced new problems this week after admitting around 20, 000 data of members was lost when Sultana launched a membership portal in September.
Furious Corbyn said he was seeking legal advice after an email sent out on that day contained a link to the “unauthorised” portal.
In an email sent to supporters on Monday, Your Party said: “We’ve come up against an issue that has proved frustratingly difficult to solve.
“Many of you joined Your Party via the membership portal promoted by Zarah on Sept 18. If that applies to you, you are a member of Your Party.
“But because your membership data is held by the company that took your payment, MOU Operations Ltd, we have had no way to access it or integrate you into our membership portal.”
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