Green Party Figure Behind Anti-Zionism Motion Revealed as Court-Sworn 'Close Friend' of Convicted al-Qaeda Supporter

A prominent Green Party member who authored a controversial conference motion branding Zionism as 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, the BBC has learned.

Lubna Speitan, a British-Palestinian artist, proposed the motion that delegates approved on Sunday, formally adopting the position as official party policy. The measure defines Zionism as an ideology backing "an ethnonationalist Jewish state" and calls for "a single democratic Palestinian state in all of historic Palestine," a territory that encompasses modern-day Israel.

The disclosures about Speitan's past connection to Minh Quang Pham emerged through court documents dating from 2015 and 2016, first reported by the Jewish Chronicle and subsequently reviewed by BBC News. The records place her at the center of a legal effort to defend a man who prosecutors said had been directed by al-Qaeda's Anwar al-Awlaki to carry out a suicide bombing at Heathrow Airport.

Pham, a Vietnamese-born British national who had been living in London, was arrested at Heathrow in July 2011 following seven months in Yemen. Authorities found a live round of ammunition in his possession. He was extradited to the United States in 2015 and sentenced the following year to 40 years behind bars after admitting three counts related to his backing of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, the group's Yemen-based affiliate. He had denied plotting a suicide attack.

In the 2015 court papers, Speitan appears listed as a "close friend" of Pham who was prepared to offer "critical testimony regarding Pham's mental state." According to the filings, that evidence would have been "crucial in establishing a mental health defense" and would "bear on the issue of guilt." The documents noted that a medical condition prevented her from testifying in person.

A letter Speitan later sent to the presiding US District Judge described Pham as one of the "few people I regard with such high respect and esteem." She wrote that if the judge "truly knew the Minh" that she and others came to love and respect, the court might "probably had the whole case dismissed." While acknowledging that Pham "may have had and developed some behavioural issues," she characterized him as "one of the kindest, honest, most sincere, trustworthy and respectful people I have ever known."

The source material contains no indication that Speitan was aware of Pham's criminal activities during the period they knew one another. When the Telegraph asked whether she remained friends with Pham, she was reported to have answered: "Yes, it's still the case." She also reportedly stated her belief that Pham had been "targeted" by "the system."

The BBC said it approached Speitan for comment, but she did not respond. The Green Party, in its response, said Speitan holds no official positions within the organization and that it "takes all allegations of this nature seriously." A party spokesperson added: "Where members have expressed views that do not fit in with the party's values, we have internal processes to investigate."

The revelations add significant pressure to a party already contending with internal upheaval. Since the motion's passage, several Green councillors have resigned their positions. 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."

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

The fallout has extended beyond the party's internal ranks. Israel responded to the motion by barring Polanski from entering the country. Jewish organizations condemned the measure as an "attack" on their community, and a number of Labour and Liberal Democrat MPs reported the Green Party to Britain's equality watchdog.

Speitan has defended the motion's intent, arguing that its supporters sought to voice opposition to what she described as "racist systems of oppression." The motion's language and its call for a single state across all of historic Palestine have proven deeply polarizing, touching on long-running debates over the boundaries between legitimate political criticism of Israel and antisemitism.

The episode has laid bare fractures within the Greens, a party that has positioned itself as a progressive alternative to mainstream politics. The resignation of a deputy leader in Wales and the reported departure of other councillors suggest the dispute is far from resolved. The party's leadership now faces the challenge of managing a policy position that has alienated segments of its membership while attempting to maintain a coherent stance on a deeply contentious international issue.

For Speitan personally, the court disclosures have shifted attention from the substance of the motion to her past associations. The documents do not allege that she participated in or had knowledge of any criminal activity, and Pham himself denied the suicide attack plot. Nevertheless, her willingness to vouch for a convicted al-Qaeda supporter, coupled with her continued friendship with him, is likely to intensify scrutiny of her role in shaping Green Party policy.

The broader political implications remain uncertain. The motion's adoption has already prompted external condemnation and formal complaints, and the resignations indicate internal costs. Whether the Green leadership can contain the fallout, or whether the controversy will deepen divisions ahead of future electoral contests, may depend on how swiftly and convincingly the party addresses the questions now swirling around one of its most visible activists.