Israel has barred British Green Party leader Zack Polanski from entering the country after his party’s membership voted to formally declare that Zionism is racism and to advocate for a single Palestinian state, according to reports.
The vote took place Sunday at the Green Party’s annual conference in Brighton, where members approved a motion brought by the Greens for Palestine group by a margin of 1,022 to 813. The motion states that the party should treat Zionism “as any other form of racism” and describes it as being based upon “European settler-colonial systems of domination and oppression.”
Israel’s Foreign Ministry announced Sunday evening that it had ordered the entry ban, characterizing the party’s new policy as giving “legitimacy to terrorism.” In a statement, the ministry said the Greens had adopted “not only the green of Hamas, but also its ideology: the elimination of the State of Israel through armed struggle.”
Jerusalem further asserted that the motion “legitimises armed struggle, calls for a Palestinian state ‘from the river to the sea’ β meaning the destruction of the State of Israel β and labels as ‘racist’ the aspiration of the Jewish people for self-determination.”
A Party Vote That drew swift condemnation
Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid also condemned the motion in strong terms. “I am a Zionist. I believe in the Jewish people’s right to a state in our homeland, in our right to live in peace and security,” he said. “As we prepare to mark three years since the October 7th massacre, the UK Green Party has chosen to side with terrorists and antisemites. It is not Zionism that’s racism, it is the Green Party.”
Polanski, who is Jewish, did not attend the vote. He was campaigning in the Holborn & St Pancras by-election at the time, a seat left vacant by former Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. Before the conference, Polanski had tried to distance himself somewhat from the motion, saying that although he is a committed anti-Zionist, he would only support it if language calling for a single Palestinian state were removed and a carve-out were added to protect Jewish members from being labeled racist for attending synagogues and other Jewish community organizations that identify as Zionist.
Nonetheless, Polanski said he agreed with the spirit of the motion, stating that “if your Zionism is the displacement of the Palestinian people, then that’s clearly racist.”
Internal divisions and leadership questions
The vote has exposed a rift within the party between its traditional base of left-wing environmentalists and an influx of Muslim members who have become disaffected with the Labour Party. While relatively new figures such as deputy leader Mothin Ali backed the motion, former party leader Caroline Lucas condemned it as “divisive” and a “sign that Jewish people aren’t welcome in the party.”
Polanski now faces growing questions about his leadership. Some observers suggest that a loss in the Holborn & St Pancras by-election could see him ousted as Green leader. Polanski denied that his position hinges on the outcome, telling The Guardian last week that his leadership “doesn’t depend on it whatsoever,” while describing the race as “probably 50/50 right now” and “really on a knife edge.”
The by-election itself is seen as a test of whether the Greens can translate their recent surge in popularity into a parliamentary foothold. The party has gained ground nationally under Polanski’s leadership, but the conference vote has thrust internal tensions into public view and drawn international attention.
Israel’s entry ban marks a rare direct sanction against a Western political party leader. The Foreign Ministry’s statement framed the move as a response to what it called the legitimization of armed struggle and the rejection of Jewish self-determination. While the ban applies specifically to Polanski, it reflects a broader Israeli policy of denying entry to individuals and groups it accuses of supporting boycotts or delegitimization campaigns.
The Green Party has not yet issued a formal response to the ban. The motion’s adoption makes the party one of the few in Europe to officially characterize Zionism as racism, a position that critics say crosses into antisemitism by denying the Jewish people’s right to a homeland. Supporters argue that opposing Zionism is a legitimate political stance and not inherently antisemitic, drawing a distinction between criticism of Israeli government policies and prejudice against Jews.
The vote also complicates the party’s efforts to present a unified front ahead of the by-election. With Polanski’s leadership under scrutiny and the party’s base split, the coming weeks will test whether the Greens can contain the fallout or whether the controversy will dominate their political messaging.
For now, the entry ban ensures that the dispute extends well beyond British shores, setting up a direct confrontation between a European party leader and the Israeli government over a definitional fight that shows no sign of cooling.
Source: www.breitbart.com β https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2026/10/05/uk-green-leader-polanski-banned-from-israel-after-party-backs-zionism-is-racism-motion/