UK Green Party leader Zack Polanski came second in the by-election for the London parliamentary seat of Holborn and St Pancras, vacated following the departure of former Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Polanski finished well behind Labour candidate Saeeda Ahmed-Wali, who won the seat.
The election took place days after the Green Party approved a motion at its conference describing Zionism as “a form of racism." Polanski abstained from the vote.
After the results were announced, Polanski, who is Jewish, publicly addressed his party’s decision and his own views on Zionism for the first time.
“I grew up in a Zionist household, and I grew up with the idea that this was a land without a people for a people without a land," he said. “And as I became more educated, learned and discovered things, I came to the conclusion that I don't believe that's true. And what we are seeing now is an ongoing genocide and the displacement of the Palestinian people from their homes. I believe that is unequivocally racist."
Asked whether he supports a two-state solution, Polanski said he did not believe it was for the Green Party to decide what a future arrangement should look like. He stressed that every country should guarantee equal rights and protect human rights, regardless of faith or religion.
Polanski also addressed concerns raised by members of the Jewish community following his party’s decision, as well as allegations that the motion was antisemitic.
“I think we always need to make sure that we're not conflating antisemitism with criticism of the state of Israel," he said.
He argued that blurring the distinction between antisemitism and criticism of Israel could undermine the security of Jewish communities.
Despite his electoral defeat, Polanski made clear that he has no intention of stepping down as Green Party leader.