The Rother Labour Group welcomes the statement issued by Councillors Arren Rathbone Ariel, Polly Gray and Sue Burton on behalf of the Rother Green Group. See below for the full text.
The Group has disassociated itself from the “Zionism is Racism” motion, made clear that it does not reflect the Group’s view, and called on the Green Party Executive to work towards rescinding and rejecting the policy. This is the clear, public response we asked for, and we thank them for providing it promptly.
We raised this because our Jewish residents and communities deserve unequivocal reassurance, and because our partnership in the Rother Alliance rests on mutual respect and opposition to all forms of racism and discrimination. We are glad to see those principles reaffirmed, and the Labour Group will continue to participate in the Rother Alliance.
The statement also contains views on wider issues, and the Labour Group does not necessarily share all of them. Our position is unchanged. We support a two-state solution, with freedom, security and self-determination for Israelis and Palestinians, and we will keep working to ensure that Jewish communities and all communities in Rother are safe, feel safe and have their rights upheld.
We look forward to continuing to work with colleagues across the Alliance for the benefit of local residents. We also hope the Green Party nationally will follow the lead shown by its Rother councillors and reject this policy in full.
Cllr Gareth Delany
Co-Deputy Leader, Rother District Council and Leader, Rother Labour Group
We, Councillor Arren Rathbone Ariel, Councillor Polly Gray, and Councillor Sue Burton wish to disassociate ourselves from the motion carried at Autumn Conference, ‘Zionism is Racism’. We are against this being Green Party policy; it does not reflect the view of Rother Green Group. In our 2024 manifesto we called for conflict to end and for equal rights for both Israeli and Palestinian people. We believe this is consistent with a two-state solution being the only workable route for peace in the foreseeable future for all communities that has both national and international alignment; any other visions beyond this should be for all peoples therein to decide, democratically later.
It is worth reminding ourselves of the progress made. At our 2024 Autumn Conference we became the first political party in England and Wales to recognise Israeli government conduct as genocide and the state of Israel as an apartheid state as defined by international treaties such as the International Convention on Apartheid (1973) and Rome Statute (1998). In July 2025 Carla Denyer (then Green Party Co-Leader) demanded that “The UK government must join France in recognising the state of Palestine – as well as enacting a full arms embargo, widespread sanctions, a ban on the import of settlement goods, and funding for evidence collection for prosecutions.”
Subsequently, on 20th September 2025, the UK Government recognised a Palestinian State. Sir Keir Starmer said: “[we] pledge to the Palestinian and Israeli people that there can be a better future”, and that the “starvation and devastation [in Gaza] are utterly intolerable” and the “death and destruction horrifies all of us”. More recently Ed Miliband at this year’s Labour Autumn Conference stated that they will “call out ethnic cleansing by the settler terrorists in the West Bank. [And] call out the evidence of war crimes In Gaza. [And] call out Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine.” Following this they declared they would ‘ban the import of goods from illegal settlements.’
We believe these measures and steps came from pressure from the Green Party nationally, along with international condemnation and cooperation. However, the Autumn Conference ‘Zionism is Racism’ motion / policy could hamper moves to further help communities wanting further action and peace; the policy is unhelpful, divisive, and does not align with the national and international consensus.
As such we would welcome, at the earliest opportunity, for GPEX to work with others towards rescinding and rejecting the ‘Zionism is Racism’ motion / policy. Let us work towards the end of all conflict, for land to be returned, and for equal rights for Israeli and Palestinian people. So too towards a more unified position both within our own party and alongside others who wish to see lasting peace.
Sincerely
Arren Rathbone Ariel
Deputy Green Party Leader: Rother Green Group
On behalf of Rother Green Group: Cllr Polly Gray, Cllr Arren Rathbone Ariel, Cllr Sue Burton