Greens investigate party member behind Zionism motion

The Green Party says it has opened an internal investigation into member Lubna Speitan. The move follows reports that court documents described her as a close friend of Minh Quang Pham, who was later imprisoned in the United States for supporting al-Qaeda.

Speitan, a British-Palestinian artist, proposed a party conference motion describing Zionism as support for an ethnonationalist Jewish state. Under party rules, approved motions become policy, though they are not automatically included in an election manifesto.

The Jewish Chronicle reported that a 2015 letter showed Speitan had offered to testify for Pham’s defence. He pleaded guilty to supporting al-Qaeda and received a 40-year US prison sentence; he denied planning a suicide attack.

A Green Party spokesperson said members’ conduct is subject to internal procedures when concerns arise about compatibility with party values, and confirmed an investigation is underway. Speitan said she rejected efforts to remove her earlier statements from their context.