Green Party leader Zack Polanski has been barred from entering Israel after members of his party voted to define Zionism as racist, reports BritPanorama.
Mr Polanski did not take part in the vote on the motion, having left the party conference to campaign in the Holborn and St Pancras by-election.
Israel accused the Green Party of legitimising “the destruction of the State of Israel” with a “clear antisemitic text.”
Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the Greens’ resolution “constitutes a clear antisemitic text according to the IHRA definition, as it denies the Jewish people’s right to self-determination.”
The ministry’s statement continued that foreign minister Gideon Sa’ar had decided to declare Polanski barred from entering the country as a first step in response to the vote.
According to the minister, the Green Party voted to equate Zionism with racism and called for the establishment of a Palestinian state “from the river to the sea,” implying the destruction of Israel.
In a statement alongside Green MPs and deputies, Polanski affirmed that “there is no conflict between supporting the rights of Palestinians and the rights of Jewish people.”
The party members in Brighton backed the motion with 1,022 votes in favour and 813 against.
The resolution explicitly declares the Greens as an “anti-Zionist party” and asserts that Zionism will be “treated as any other form of racism.”
It additionally supports the establishment of a “single democratic Palestinian State in all of historic Palestine with Jerusalem as its capital.”
Supporters of the motion chanted as campaigners from Greens for Palestine spoke to the media, advocating for their cause.
When asked if this new stance meant that Zionists would be expelled from the party, former councillor Salma Yaqoob responded, “absolutely not.”
She clarified, “We’re saying that if you want to champion Zionism, it will be called out as racism. But, no, this is not a disciplinary issue. Nobody will be removed, challenged, disciplined, or suspended because they put forward or articulate their belief in Zionism.”
A spokesperson for the Green Party stated the motion does not have a “material impact on governance or disciplinary procedures,” highlighting that it has been a “serious and deeply felt debate” among members.
The spokesperson emphasized that the Green Party is committed to anti-racism and has consistently opposed the illegal occupation of Palestinian and Syrian land, calling for an end to arms sales to the Israeli government.
They reiterated the party’s commitment to equality, justice, and human rights for all, as well as its opposition to racism in all forms.
Members voted against adding a clause that would clarify the motion should not be used to pressure or discipline party members for their affiliation with synagogues or Jewish groups that consider themselves Zionist.
The Board of Deputies of British Jews characterized the Greens as having become “an extremist party.”
They stated, “The motion passed by the Green Party today is an attack on the Jewish community,” calling it an antisemitic platform that represents a distortion of Jewish experience and identity.
The board criticized the motion for inciting anti-Jewish hatred and for departing from international consensus, urging civil society to regard the Green Party as an extremist organization.
As tensions rise, the implications of this vote may reverberate both within the UK and internationally, particularly regarding the ongoing discourse about Israel and Palestine.
