Israel bars Zack Polanski after Greens adopt anti-Zionist position
Israel has barred Green Party leader Zack Polanski from entering the country after party members voted to adopt a position opposing Zionism. Israel’s foreign ministry said the decision was a first step and accused the party of giving legitimacy to terrorism, while the vote has prompted disagreement within the Greens and criticism from British politicians.
The motion passed at the party’s conference in Brighton by 1,022 votes to 813. It calls for a single democratic Palestinian state across historic Palestine, with Jerusalem as its capital; members also rejected a clause intended to protect party members’ affiliations with Zionist synagogues and other Jewish groups from pressure or discipline. Polanski was not at the vote, and he and the party’s five MPs said support for Palestinian rights does not conflict with support for Jewish people’s rights.
- Israel barred Green leader Zack Polanski after the party’s anti-Zionism vote.
- The motion passed by 1,022 votes to 813.
- Polanski and the party’s five MPs distanced themselves from the outcome.
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Zionism is the ideology supporting a Jewish homeland in Israel, and it has been a controversial political concept for decades. The UK's Green Party has become a significant force in British politics and recently held a vote on whether to adopt an anti-Zionist position.
At its conference in Brighton, the party voted narrowly to adopt an anti-Zionist stance, with 1,022 members voting in favour and 813 against. The motion calls for a single democratic Palestinian state across historic Palestine and removed protections for party members affiliated with Zionist Jewish organisations.
The move has sparked internal party disagreement and criticism from other British politicians. Israel's government has responded by accusing the party of legitimising terrorism, whilst the Green Party's leadership argues that opposition to Zionism does not conflict with supporting Jewish people's rights.
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The case for
Israel's government views Zionism as foundational to the state's existence and legitimacy as a Jewish homeland. When a major political party formally adopts an anti-Zionist position and votes to remove protections for members' Zionist affiliations, Israel interprets this as delegitimising the state itself and potentially enabling discrimination against those who support it. From this perspective, the visa ban reflects a reasonable boundary against those seeking to undermine the state's foundational principle.
The case against
Critics of the ban argue that opposing Zionism as a nationalist ideology is fundamentally distinct from antisemitism or opposing Jewish rights. They contend that supporting Palestinian statehood and democratic representation is a legitimate political position held internationally, and that individual politicians should not face visa bans based on conference votes. They emphasise that one can oppose nationalist ideologies whilst fully supporting Jewish people's rights and safety, and that such bans constitute an infringement on free political expression.
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Originally published by Daily Mail as “Israel bans Zack Polanski as the Green Party is accused of ‘legitimising terrorism’”.