Young Greens dump pro-Israel ‘IHRA’ antisemitism ‘definition’

The Young Greens have led the way for their machine-hindered parent party by dumping the pro-Israel, pro-colonialism so-called ‘IHRA working definition of antisemitism‘.

Young Greens break ranks

The Israel lobby within the Green party succeeded in sabotaging a ‘Zionism is racism’ motion at the Greens’ conference. However, today – 19 July 2026 – the Young Greens have passed a new resolution dismissing the party’s existing, IHRA-framed guidance as “unfit for purpose” and that the Greens’ youth section:

Believes:

Antisemitism is a serious form of racism that must be actively identified, challenged, and addressed within the Young Greens and the wider Green movement.

A robust antisemitism framework must be both genuinely protective of Jewish members and genuinely protective of free political expression, including Palestinian solidarity, criticism of Israeli state policy, and anti-Zionist political analysis.

The existing reference to a now-inaccessible guidance document does not provide members or officers with the clear and usable framework they need.

The document originally adopted by reference is unfit for purpose and should not be reinstated: it cites politically loaded authorities as neutral scholars, frames anti-Zionism as presumptively suspicious, presents a definition of Zionism that makes no mention of the Palestinian Nakba, explicitly instructs disciplinary bodies to use it, and is now out of date with Green Party policy on Gaza.

This motion is not a policy statement on Israel/Palestine and does not alter the Young Greens’ existing policy positions on Israel, Palestine, or BDS; it is intended as an educative rather than legalistic document.

Resolves

1. To replace the existing 2020 RoOS entry titled “Guidance on Antisemitism” with the following guidance.
2. To adopt the following as the Young Greens’ guidance on antisemitism, for educational and organisational purposes:

‘Speaking through tears’

The Canary‘s Cameron Baillie celebrated and explained the decision:

Speaking through tears following the motion passing—which passed in [a] 16:1 ratio—proposer Jo Dowbor said:

“Leftist greens have tried to drop the IHRA for 20 years—we just made history”. That is palpably true.

One of its Jewish proposers was Noam, born in Israel, who moved to [the] UK.

— C.J.Mc. Baillie (@cjmbaillie) July 19, 2026

Noam’s speech stated that the IHRA definition of antisemitism is “not only inaccurate but dangerous”.

They stated that it is harmful to equate Jews with [the] project of Israel, although this is repeatedly done by politicians.

…make Greens the party “not to compromise on its values”

— C.J.Mc. Baillie (@cjmbaillie) July 19, 2026

Distinguishing between actual racism and antisemitism, and not: pic.twitter.com/VzJgImzrkx

— C.J.Mc. Baillie (@cjmbaillie) July 19, 2026

The IHRA is widely used to suppress free speech on Israel and has been rejected by legal experts and even by the man who wrote it. It continues, unsurprisingly, to be pushed by Israel lobby groups and Israel-allied politicians. The UK government and Israel lobby have used it to target anyone who dares to speak out against Israel’s genocide, or even to show solidarity with its victims.

Accordingly, the Israel lobby was in meltdown at even the prospect of the party’s youth wing voting on the motion. That will only intensify now it has passed resoundingly.

Now it’s time for the Greens’ as a whole to block the manoeuvres of its Israel front group, dump the ‘IHRA definition’ and declare officially that Zionism is — as it unquestionably is — racism.

Featured image via the Canary