Israel Bars Green Party Leader Zack Polanski After Party Backs Motion Calling Zionism Racist

Israel's foreign ministry has announced that Green Party leader Zack Polanski is banned from entering the country, a decision that came just hours after members of his party voted to adopt a controversial motion characterising Zionism as a form of racism. The ministry condemned the motion in strong terms, labelling it a "clear antisemitic text" that falls outside what it considers the boundaries of acceptable political discussion. The ban represents a rare direct diplomatic rebuke aimed at the leader of a mainstream British political party.

The motion was approved on Sunday at the Green Party's conference in Brighton, where activists had gathered for a three-day event. It passed by a margin of 1,022 votes in favour to 813 against, following a debate that had dominated proceedings and laid bare deep internal divisions. The text defines Zionism as an ideology that supports "an ethnonationalist Jewish state" and expresses support for "a single democratic Palestinian state in all of historic Palestine."

Beyond its definitional language, the motion asserts that "the real, material, manifestation of Zionism has been the historic and ongoing dehumanisation, displacement, dispossession, disenfranchisement and destruction of Palestinians." That wording proved to be one of the most contentious elements of the debate, drawing criticism from both inside and outside the party. Israel's foreign ministry went further, describing the motion as "a stain on the history of the United Kingdom."

Polanski, who leads the party, did not participate in the vote. He had left the conference early in order to campaign in Holborn and St Pancras, where he is contesting a by-election to become an MP. His absence from the ballot did not shield him from criticism, however. The Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Jewish Leadership Council singled him out for particular criticism, noting that he "neither spoke against the motion nor voted."

The two Jewish organisations issued a joint statement rejecting the premise of the motion outright. "Zionism is anti-racism, creating a refuge for Jews in their ancient homeland after millennia of persecution outside it," they said. They warned that branding most British Jews and Jewish institutions as racist would inflame anti-Jewish hatred, pointing to a year in which British Jews had been murdered while attending synagogue, stabbed in the streets, and had their community buildings firebombed.

The leadership of the Green Party itself has been visibly split over the issue. Joint deputy leaders Mothin Ali and Rachel Millward took opposing positions, with Ali backing the motion while Millward described its wording as "problematic." Four of the party's five MPs — Ellie Chowns, Adrian Ramsay, Carla Denyer and Sian Berry — had publicly opposed the motion before the vote, with Denyer arguing it risked "alienating a significant proportion of Jewish people."

Speaking during the conference debate, former Green Party leader Caroline Lucas urged members to reject what she called the over-simplification at the heart of the motion. She warned that a refusal to accept complexity was leading many Jewish members to feel scared and unwelcome within the party. Chowns also spoke against the motion, reinforcing the gap between the parliamentary party and the activist base that has grown under Polanski's leadership.

Ali defended the motion after the vote, framing it as a call for "a state that's democratic, that guarantees the rights of every single person living on that land." He insisted he was "absolutely not" labelling all Jewish people who identify as Zionists as racist. Lubna Speitan, the Green member who brought the motion forward, said its supporters wanted to voice opposition to "racist systems of oppression," adding: "We stand united against all forms of racism and discrimination — no exemptions."

Polanski had sought to amend the motion before the vote, with both of his proposed changes rejected by members. He wanted the reference to a single Palestinian state altered, arguing that the Green Party of England and Wales, or even the British government, should not be deciding what a future settlement looks like. He also sought language specifying that the motion could not be used to discipline Jewish members who attend synagogues that consider themselves Zionist.

Asked about the motion before the vote, Polanski said: "If your Zionism is the displacement of the Palestinian people then that is clearly racist, and I say that as a Jewish leader of a British political party." After the result, he did not state whether he personally supported the motion, but he added his name to a joint statement issued by the party's five MPs and deputy leaders.

That statement pledged to ensure the Green Party remained "an anti-racist party in every way" and asserted there was "no conflict between supporting the rights of Palestinians and the rights of Jewish people." A party spokeswoman also insisted that Jewish members would be protected and would not face persecution for attending synagogues that define themselves as Zionist. Vivien Lichtenstein, chairwoman of Jewish Greens, told the BBC after the vote that she could consider her future in the party.

In a sign of the tensions surrounding the conference, pro-Israel activists demonstrated outside the venue on Saturday, waving Israeli flags alongside a Union Jack. The Board of Deputies and the Jewish Leadership Council welcomed the "cross-party condemnation" that followed the vote, even as they directed sharp criticism at Polanski. The episode has exposed the widening gap between the party's newly enlarged membership under Polanski and its MPs elected at the last general election.