Israel Bars Green Party Leader Zack Polanski After Anti-Zionist Policy Vote

Israel has barred UK Green Party leader Zack Polanski from entering the country after party members voted to adopt an anti-Zionist policy at their 2026 conference.

The motion passed by 1,022 votes to 813, according to a party press release issued on Sunday. It defines Zionism as an ethnonationalist political project and states that anti-Zionism should not be equated with antisemitism.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry condemned the resolution, describing it as antisemitic and accusing the party of equating Zionism with racism. Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar subsequently announced the entry ban on Polanski.

WHAT THE GREEN PARTY ADOPTED

The policy reaffirms support for Palestinian liberation, the right of return, the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement and a full arms embargo against Israel.

It also backs self-determination and calls for a single democratic state throughout historic Palestine.

Zionism emerged in late-19th-century Europe as a nationalist movement seeking to establish and support a Jewish homeland. The conference decision formally commits the party to opposing it as a political project.

A Green Party spokesperson acknowledged divisions during the discussion but said members had exercised their right to determine policy.

“This has been a serious and deeply felt debate within our membership. Our members value the ability to bring forward and decide party policy, and conference has now made its decision,” the spokesperson said.

PARTY CITES ANTI-RACISM AND EQUAL RIGHTS

The Greens said their position was grounded in opposition to racism and support for equality, justice and human rights.

The spokesperson pointed to the party’s opposition to the occupation of Palestinian and Syrian land, its calls to end arms sales to the Israeli government and its criticism of conditions in Gaza and the West Bank.

“Those positions remain central to our approach. So too does our deeply held commitment to equality, justice and human rights for all and opposition to racism in all its forms,” the spokesperson said.

ISRAEL CALLS RESOLUTION ANTISEMITIC

Israel’s Foreign Ministry offered a sharply different interpretation. It accused the party of legitimising armed struggle against Israel and said the resolution’s proposed political outcome would mean the destruction of the Israeli state.

The ministry also argued that the motion met the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism.

“The resolution constitutes a clear antisemitic text according to the IHRA definition, as it denies the Jewish people’s right to self-determination,” it said.

Those characterisations were the ministry’s assessment; the Green Party’s stated position distinguishes opposition to Zionism from antisemitism.

Announcing the restriction on Polanski, the ministry described it as a “first step”.

“Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar has decided this evening to declare Green Party leader Zack Polanski barred from entering Israel. The decision has been coordinated with the relevant authorities,” the statement said.

With inputs from ANI