Greens on Wealden District Council do not support national party’s Zionism policy: group’s open letter says members ‘saddened’ by Labour’s ultimatum

Green Councillors at WDC addressed the recent controversy in an open letter to residents, published at wealden.greenparty.org.uk/an-open-letter-to-wealden-residents on October 23.

The letter said: “To be clear, our Green Group does not support the ‘Zionism is Racism’ policy. Whilst the motion presented one particular definition of Zionism, we acknowledge that this word can mean different things to different people. The policy also calls for a single state solution, but we believe that it is for Palestinians and Israelis to determine their own peaceful future.”

It said: “ We are absolutely clear that the Green Party stands firmly against antisemitism, Islamophobia and all forms of racism and hatred. Everyone in Wealden deserves to feel safe, respected and included, and we will do all we can to make that so.”

The letter comes after the national Green party said it had adopted a motion ‘formally establishing it as an anti-Zionist party’ at its 2026 conference. The party said the motion defines ‘Zionism’ as ‘an ethnonationalist political project’. But it also said anti-Zionism ‘should not be equated with antisemitism’ and said the Green Party is ‘an anti-racist party’ opposed to the ‘occupation of both Palestinian and Syrian land’.

Labour Prime Minister Andy Burnham condemned the policy as ‘antisemitic’ and the national Labour party said it would end power-sharing agreements with Greens on local councils unless Green councillors rejected the policy.

The recent open letter by Wealden Green councillors said: “We were saddened to receive a letter from the Labour group leader on WDC telling us that he had been instructed by his party to issue us with an ultimatum about the “Zionism is Racism” motion.”

The Wealden Greens pointed out that Green and Lib Dem groups defeated the Conservatives in the district in May 2023 and formed the Alliance for Wealden to make the area ‘greener, fairer and kinder’.

Their letter said: “We wanted to do politics differently: to solve problems, not score points.”

It continued: “The Alliance has delivered unprecedented levels of affordable housing and award-winning social housing, and invested previously unheard of amounts, in innovative ways, across sport and leisure, health centres, nature restoration, local businesses and community infrastructure. We have categorically changed Wealden for future generations: working together cross-party to create better parks, cycle ways, state-of-the-art sports facilities, sustainable community spaces, stronger cultural networks, reduced carbon emissions, lower bills and healthier rivers, because residents rightly expect us to put their needs first. How ironic that a Labour Prime Minister, who also made a promise to solve problems, not score points, is now willing to disrupt well-run councils for fear of Green success.”

The Greens’ letter said Labour were welcomed into the Alliance despite Greens’ ‘constant frustration’ with the Labour Party’s national policies. It said: “So many actions of the national Labour party are at odds with our values as Greens. And yet we have not allowed these disagreements to stop us serving local residents together.”

The Greens’ letter, which is highly critical of Israel’s Netanyahu government, also said the national Green conference motion had caused ‘disagreement and debate’ within the party. It said: “We recognise this is a deeply sensitive and complex issue and that many people, including but not only in Jewish communities, feel worried and hurt. We take that pain seriously. Many of us have already expressed our own feelings about the policy and our party allows us to do this.”

It also called conflating criticism of Israel’s actions with antisemitism ‘utterly irresponsible’, saying: “Palestinian freedom and Jewish safety are not competing principles and must not be treated as if they are.”

The letter concluded: “We hope our Labour colleagues are allowed to choose to continue to work in The Alliance with us rather than be pushed to make an exit. But if their hand is forced, we will accept their departure and we will continue to deliver for the people of Wealden.”

Wealden District Council’s Green Leader Rachel Millward, who is also Deputy Leader of the Green Party, also made her own announcement about the issue.

Her post on X said: “I voted against the ‘Zionism is Racism’ motion because I was certain it would have a divisive and distracting impact’.”

She said: “To our Jewish communities – both inside and outside the party – we will not tolerate antisemitism within this party, or in the community.”

WDC’s Labour councillors have been approached for comment.