Green Party Figure Behind Anti-Zionism Motion Revealed as 'Close Friend' of Jailed Al-Qaeda Supporter

The Green Party activist who authored a controversial conference motion declaring Zionism to be racism was identified in United States court filings as a "close friend" of a British man sentenced to four decades in prison for supporting al-Qaeda, according to documents reviewed by the BBC.

Lubna Speitan, a British-Palestinian artist, put forward the motion that defines Zionism as an ideology backing "an ethnonationalist Jewish state." The proposal was approved by party members on Sunday, formally becoming Green Party policy and igniting a fierce internal row over antisemitism and the boundaries of legitimate criticism of Israel.

Court records dating from 2015 show that Speitan volunteered to appear as a defence witness in the American trial of Minh Quang Pham, a Vietnamese-born British national who spent time in London before his arrest. Pham ultimately received a 40-year sentence after entering guilty pleas to three counts related to his backing of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), an al-Qaeda affiliate.

The BBC stated it had approached Speitan for a response. The Green Party, meanwhile, emphasised that Speitan occupies no official role within its structures and insisted it treats any allegation of this kind with seriousness. A party spokesperson said internal mechanisms exist to investigate members whose expressed views conflict with the party's stated values.

The court papers describe Speitan as someone who could deliver "critical testimony regarding Pham's mental state," material the defence argued would be "crucial in establishing a mental health defense" and which "bears on the issue of guilt." The filings also note that a medical condition prevented her from giving evidence in person.

In a subsequent letter to the presiding US District Judge, Speitan portrayed Pham as among the "few people I regard with such high respect and esteem." She suggested that if the judge had "truly knew the Minh [Pham] that and others grew to love and respect," the case might "probably" have been dismissed altogether. While conceding he "may have had and developed some behavioural issues," she described him as "one of the kindest, honest, most sincere, trustworthy and respectful people I have ever known."

The existence of the letter was initially brought to light by the Jewish Chronicle and subsequently verified by BBC News. The documents contain no indication that Speitan was aware of Pham's criminal conduct during the period of their acquaintance.

Pham's case dates back to July 2011, when he was detained at Heathrow Airport following a seven-month stay in Yemen. Authorities found him carrying a live round of ammunition. He was extradited to the United States in 2015 and sentenced the following year after admitting the three AQAP-related charges.

American prosecutors alleged that Pham had been instructed by al-Qaeda figure Anwar al-Awlaki to set off explosives in Heathrow's arrivals area, following several months of training under Awlaki's direction in Yemen. Pham denied plotting a suicide attack. His legal team sought to mount a mental health defence, with Speitan positioned as a potentially pivotal witness on that question.

When questioned by the Telegraph about whether she remained friends with Pham, Speitan reportedly answered in the affirmative, saying: "Yes, it's still the case." She was also quoted as expressing the belief that Pham had been "targeted" by "the system."

The revelations land amid deepening turmoil within the Green Party over the passage of Speitan's motion. The measure calls for "a single democratic Palestinian state in all of historic Palestine," a formulation that encompasses the territory of present-day Israel. Speitan has defended the motion's supporters as wanting to register opposition to what she termed "racist systems of oppression."

Israel responded to the vote by barring Green leader Zack Polanski from entering the country. Jewish organisations characterised the motion as an "attack" on their community, and several Labour and Liberal Democrat MPs referred the party to Britain's equality watchdog.

Internally, the fallout has been severe. A number of Green councillors have resigned their positions since the motion passed. Phil Davies, the party's deputy leader in Wales, stepped down and cancelled his membership on Tuesday, calling the motion "the final nail in the coffin."

Polanski, who is Jewish, issued a lengthy statement on Monday evening stressing that he would not permit anyone to be excluded from the party "because of the religious or communal body they are part of." He further argued that "antisemitism and criticism of the Israeli state are, and must always be, completely distinct."

The episode has exposed sharp fractures among Green members, parliamentarians and deputy leaders, raising difficult questions about how the party reconciles its commitment to free political expression with its duty to protect Jewish members from discrimination. The decision by Israel to block Polanski's entry adds a diplomatic dimension to a dispute that shows no sign of abating.

For the Green Party, the affair represents a significant reputational challenge. The combination of an explosive internal policy dispute and a leader attempting to hold a divided party together has placed the organisation under intense scrutiny from political opponents, Jewish community groups and equality regulators alike. How the party's internal processes handle the matter — and whether further resignations follow — will shape its public standing in the weeks ahead.