Israel Bans UK Green Party Leader Amid Antisemitism Row

Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Saar announced on Monday that he has banned Zak Polanski, the chairman of the UK's Green Party, from entering the country. The decision follows the party's adoption of a resolution calling for a single Palestinian state within historic Palestine, which effectively means the elimination of Israel. The resolution also labels Zionism as a form of racism and declares the Green Party as anti-Zionist.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry condemned the Green Party's decision as antisemitic, stating it denies the Jewish people's right to self-determination and legitimizes armed struggle against Israel. The ministry further asserted that the party has become a supporter of terrorism, adopting Hamas's ideology. Israel urged all British parties, particularly the ruling Labour Party, to unequivocally disavow the resolution.

The Green Party's resolution, passed by a vote of 1,022 to 813, also calls for the removal of "Palestine Action" from terror lists and defends the Palestinian right to resist, which the party's literature interprets as supporting armed Palestinian resistance. Polanski, who has declared himself anti-Zionist, was notably absent from the vote as he was campaigning for a parliamentary seat. Former Green Party leaders Caroline Lucas and Adrian Ramsay opposed the resolution, with Lucas warning it could signal that Jews are unwelcome in the party.

British Jewish organizations, including the Board of Deputies of British Jews, had previously written to the party leadership, arguing that Zionism is not racism but a fight against it. Following the vote, the Movement for Reform Judaism in Britain stated that the Greens had made antisemitism party policy and become a racist party. The Green Party, which saw a peak of 21% support in polls earlier in the year, currently stands at around 11%. The Labour Party, under Keir Starmer and now Andy Burnham, has been attempting to regain support from pro-Palestinian voters.