Israel Bars Green Party Leader Over Anti-Zionism Vote

Israel has banned Green Party leader Zack Polanski from entering the country following a party conference vote that defined Zionism as racist. Israel's foreign ministry accused the Green Party of giving "legitimacy to terrorism" after a majority of members supported the motion.

In a statement, the ministry declared that the party had "ceased to act as a political party and became a body that gives legitimacy to terrorism." It further stated that the Greens had adopted "not only the green of Hamas, but also its ideology – the elimination of the State of Israel through armed struggle." The ministry called the resolution a "stain on the history of the UK" and urged other British political parties, particularly the Labour Party, to reject it.

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar announced the decision to bar Polanski from entering Israel as a "first step." The resolution, passed with 1,022 votes in favor and 813 against, opposes Zionism and calls for a single democratic Palestinian state in historic Palestine with Jerusalem as its capital. The motion also rejected a clause that would have protected party members affiliated with Zionist synagogues or other Jewish groups.

Green Party leader Zack Polanski, who was not present for the vote, distanced himself from the outcome. In a statement alongside Green MPs and deputies, he asserted that there is "no conflict between supporting the rights of Palestinians and the rights of Jewish people." However, the party's five Members of Parliament issued a statement disowning the new stance. Former leaders also expressed dismay, with ex-deputy leader Shahrar Ali calling it a "stain" and stating the party had become the "first openly anti-Semitic party in the UK."

Carla Denyer, a former co-leader, warned that the resolution risked "alienating a significant proportion of Jewish people." Other prominent figures, including Caroline Lucas, the party's first MP, also voiced opposition. The party's leadership faced further backlash, with Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp describing the Green Party as "toxic to its core" and Labour chair Bridget Phillipson calling the policy "shameful."

Legal experts have suggested the resolution might breach the Equality Act, with legal scholar Adam Wagner KC noting it could "discriminate against" Jews. The Campaign Against Antisemitism labeled the policy "racism in its clearest form," and Luciana Berger, who previously left the Labour Party over antisemitism concerns, stated the Greens "should be shunned."

A Green Party spokesman maintained that the party opposes "racism in all its forms." Reports also indicate that two members had their passes revoked at the conference: one Zionist for protesting silently at a Palestine fringe meeting, and another Jewish Green member for filming the incident. Following the vote, one Jewish Green member expressed concerns that many might leave the party, which had previously established a "safe room" for its Jewish members in Brighton.