(Image: PA)
Gillian Mackay hesitated when asked whether she believed Zionism was racist following the fallout over a controversial Green Party vote.
The Scottish Greens co-leader told journalists the current political "realisation” of Zionism was racist when pushed by journalists.
She had just addressed SNP conference on the Scottish independence debate – but was overwhelmingly asked about the Israel and Palestine conflict after the event.
Her comments come amid a fallout from a controversial motion passed by members of Zack Polanski’s Green Party of England and Wales defining Zionism as racist.
It has sparked a fierce backlash since the vote, with Labour announcing it will cut ties with the party at council level in England and Wales if representatives do not disavow the motion.
Ms Mackay said the debate was “unhelpful” to seeking peace in the Middle East.
Ross Greer, Ms Mackay’s fellow co-leader, previously answered “yes” when asked directly in a BBC interview whether he considered Zionism to be racism.
He also described the creation of the state of Israel as an “act of racism”, but said he did not support every element of the English and Welsh party’s motion.
But speaking to journalists at the SNP conference in Aberdeen, Ms Mackay took a more hesitant position.
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She said: “I don’t think the conversation at that point is helpful because it focuses on definitions rather than actually focusing on how we achieve peace for the region as a whole and make sure that self determination for those there is what we’re talking about and how we get to that point of peace.”
Asked directly whether she considered Zionism to be racist, she instead focused on the “realisation” of the political ideology, citing the Israeli Government’s actions in Gaza and the treatment of Palestinians in the West Bank.
She said: “I don’t think anybody can look at what’s happening in Gaza and the West Bank at the moment and not see that the realisation of that political ideology is racist.
“It’s resulted in the displacement of millions of Palestinians, the deaths of thousands of Palestinians, and I don’t think anybody looking at the situation objectively could come to any other conclusion.”
Gillian Mackay was also pressed on whether she believed Israel had a right to exist.
After a pause, she replied: “It’s a difficult one.”
She added: “They absolutely should have the right to have somewhere to be and to be able to live in peace.
“We absolutely condemn antisemitism in absolutely all of its forms and we want to see peace in the Middle East and self-determination for the people that are there.
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“I think constantly having politicians from other places say what should and shouldn’t be the thing for those people I don’t think is always particularly helpful.
“But I think we need to make sure that self-determination piece is what we strive for.”
The row began after members of the Green Party of England and Wales backed a conference motion defining Zionism as racist. The party is separate from the Scottish Greens, although both are part of the wider international Green movement.
Ms Mackay’s position echoes similar comments by Mr Polanski, who is leader of the Greens in England and Wales.
He said: “I think it’s pretty clear that if what you’re talking about is Zionism, is what this Israeli government is carrying out in the name of Zionism, which is the genocide and displacement of Palestinian people, then of course that’s quite obviously racist.”
He also described discussions within his party as “less helpful”, adding: “I think ultimately what it does is create a distraction and a conversation where both the party and pro-Palestinian activists and anyone who cares about peace and justice can be attacked.”
SNP leader John Swinney has rejected the Green Party motion, saying there were already “very well-established definitions in law of what constitutes racism” and political parties should not devise their own definitions at conferences.
The Scottish Greens are due to hold their own conference in Inverness next weekend, but Gillian Mackay said there would not be a similar debate there.
Scottish Conservative MP Andrew Bowie said: “Antisemitism has no place in Scotland.
“The Greens under Zack Polanski have allowed it to rear its ugly head.
“Their toxicity is replicated in the words of the Scottish party, and it is too late for Gillian Mackay and Ross Greer to distance themselves from the mire they helped create.”