Hundreds of British Jews accuse Board of Deputies of 'genocide denial'

Hundreds of British Jews have accused the Board of Deputies of British Jews of “genocide denial” in an open letter condemning its decision to declare the Green Party racist over its stance on Zionism. The letter, released on Tuesday by Jews Against Genocide Denial, accuses the prominent Jewish representative organisation of shielding Israel from accountability and silencing criticism within its own ranks. Historian Avi Shlaim, former South African MP and arms trade campaigner Andrew Feinstein, and human rights lawyer Margaret Owen are among the more than 250 signatories listed in the document. The intervention follows the Board’s decision on 25 October to declare that the Green Party of England and Wales had become a racist party after adopting a conference motion treating Zionism as a form of racism. The Board’s resolution, passed by 118 votes to one, argued that the Green policy stigmatised a connection to Israel that forms part of many British Jews’ religious, cultural and national identity. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters The letter’s signatories rejected that interpretation, while stressing that they did not all share the same view of the Green motion’s merits. “Some Jewish Greens supported it, some opposed it, some thought it unnecessary, given the party’s already strong stance against Israel’s oppressive regime and war crimes,” they wrote. They accused the Board of targeting the party and its Jewish leader, Zack Polanski, because of their opposition to Israel’s genocide in Gaza. 'Your allegations of institutional antisemitism against the Green Party are false, use antisemitism as a political weapon, and are therefore an abuse of Jews' - Jews Against Genocide Denial “Your allegations of institutional antisemitism against the Green Party are false, use antisemitism as a political weapon, and are therefore an abuse of Jews.” Middle East Eye approached the Board for comment but had not received a reply by the time of publication. The letter said the motion reflected Palestinian experiences of dispossession and violence, noting that its main proposer had lost 56 members of her wider family in Gaza. It accused the Board of failing to address those experiences in its condemnation of the party. In its published explanation of the October resolution, the Board said that identifying Zionism with racism threatened Jewish participation in public life and the treatment of Jewish communal institutions. 'It makes you complicit' The letter’s criticism extends to the Board’s responses to allegations of apartheid and genocide. It accused the organisation of dismissing apartheid findings by Israeli rights group B’Tselem, and international groups Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, and of opposing measures intended to restrict British support for Israel. The signatories also noted that the Board welcomed the UK government's refusal to brand Israel's war on Gaza a genocide, despite authoritative pronouncements by the International Court of Justice triggering the legally binding obligation on states to act to prevent genocide in Gaza. Petition for inquiry into UK 'complicity' in Gaza genocide passes 100,000 threshold Read More » “You must know that the genocide has since been confirmed by the overwhelming majority of genocide scholars, human rights organisations and the United Nations,” they wrote. The Board published that endorsement on 28 January 2024, two days after the ICJ issued its first provisional measures in South Africa’s case against Israel. The government statement also criticised South Africa’s decision to bring the proceedings. The ICJ’s January order found that Palestinians in Gaza had plausible rights to protection from genocide and that those rights faced a real and imminent risk of irreparable harm. It ordered Israel to take measures to prevent genocidal acts. In September 2025, the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry concluded that Israel had committed genocide in Gaza. Amnesty International has also concluded that Israeli authorities and forces are committing genocide against Palestinians there. “You are genocide deniers. Genocide denial is part of genocide. It makes you complicit,” the letter said. It also criticised the Board’s opposition to Britain’s partial suspension of arms export licences and its president’s intervention against a ban on trade with illegal Israeli settlements. The signatories further condemned its support for proscribing Palestine Action, the direct action group targeting companies supplying weapons to Israel. The Board welcomed reports of the planned ban in June 2025, citing activities it said targeted Jewish charities and communal sites. In February 2026, it joined the Jewish Leadership Council in expressing concern at the High Court’s ruling against the proscription and welcomed the government’s intention to appeal. Silencing dissent The letter accused the Board of penalising members who challenged its position on Israel. It cited the treatment of 36 deputies who signed an April 2025 letter to the Financial Times criticising Israel’s renewed offensive in Gaza and mourning Palestinian deaths. Five were subsequently suspended and the other 31 received formal notices of criticism. The Board said the sanctions concerned the use of their positions to promote the letter and the impression that it represented the organisation’s position. Two of the five were later reinstated following reductions in their suspensions. The new letter quoted the deputies’ appeal to speak out: “The inclination to avert our eyes is strong as what is happening is unbearable. But our Jewish values compel us to stand up and to speak out.” “You should have acted on their words,” the signatories told the Board. “Instead, you silenced them.” Settlement property controversy The open letter follows earlier scrutiny of the Board’s statements about a protest outside a London property event. MEE has previously reported that the Charity Commission had issued advice to trustees of the Board of Deputies Charitable Foundation following a complaint from the International Centre of Justice for Palestinians. The complaint concerned the Board’s description of a demonstration outside Edgware United Synagogue, which hosted the Great Israeli Real Estate Event, as based on “bogus grounds”. UK awards deals worth millions to firms linked to illegal Israeli settlements Read More » According to the ICJP, the Board had relied on organisers’ assurances that settlement properties would not be marketed. The organisers subsequently apologised for including properties in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem in their brochure. The open letter concluded by urging the Board to stop using allegations of antisemitism to shield Israel from criticism. “When we recognise that genocide is happening to anyone, anywhere, we Jews know our duty is to condemn it and act against it,” it said. “We will always remain open for dialogue.” Relations between the UK and Israel have deteriorated in the past two months, with Israel forcing Britain to downgrade its consulate in occupied East Jerusalem to the status of a mission in retaliation for Prime Minister Andy Burnham's government announcing sanctions on Israeli settlements in September. Late last month, the government confirmed it had paused cooperation with Israel under the 2030 roadmap for bilateral relations - a strategic agreement signed in 2023 under the Conservative government, and shortly after a new Israeli government under Benjamin Netanyahu entered power. Under the Conservatives and then Keir Starmer's Labour government, Britain operated hundreds of surveillance flights over Gaza during Israel's genocide and shared intelligence with Israel, which successive governments insisted was for “hostage rescue” purposes. Following the passing of the Green motion, the Labour Party said it would stop cooperating with the Green Party in 11 councils across England. Burnham denounced the motion as “antisemitic” last month. The Green Party said it would “not take lectures” from a government that supplies weapons to Israel.