Green Party leader banned from Israel after Zionism motion
Zack Polanski barred from entering Israel following party's controversial vote on Zionism.
Incident → evidence → outcomeGreen Party leader Zack Polanski has been banned from entering Israel after his party passed a controversial motion on Zionism. The decision by Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs follows the passage of a resolution at the Green Party's annual conference on Sunday.
Concerns in Holborn and St Pancras
The motion, which defines Zionism as supporting an 'ethnonationalist Jewish state' and backs a 'single democratic Palestinian state', has caused concern among voters in the Holborn and St Pancras constituency. Labour candidate Sagal Abdi-Wali stated that voters have raised worries about the divisive nature of the proposal. Ms Abdi-Wali told The Standard that the issue had been raised with her by constituents at school gates. She described the motion as 'worrying for anyone who believes in a two-state solution'.
Mr Polanski, who is Jewish, was not present for the vote as he was campaigning in the Holborn and St Pancras by-election. He is currently seeking to overturn a significant Labour majority in the seat.
Party and community reactions
The Green Party conference ended with internal divisions over the motion, which was passed by 1,022 votes to 813. Four of the five elected Green MPs publicly stated they did not support the proposal. The fifth MP, Hannah Spencer, did not state her view.
Jewish groups have strongly condemned the motion. The Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Jewish Leadership Council stated that Zionism is 'anti-racism, creating a refuge for Jews in their ancient homeland after millennia of persecution outside it'. They added that branding most British Jews and Jewish institutions as 'racist' stokes anti-Jewish hatred.
Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs described the resolution as a 'clear antisemitic text' according to the IHRA definition, stating it denies the Jewish people's right to self-determination. The ministry announced that, as a first step, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar had decided to ban Mr Polanski from entering Israel.
Questions this report answers
01Why has Green Party leader Zack Polanski been banned from Israel?
Zack Polanski has been banned from entering Israel following a Green Party motion passed at their annual conference. The motion defined Zionism as supporting an 'ethnonationalist Jewish state' and backed a 'single democratic Palestinian state'.
02What was the Green Party's motion on Zionism?
The Green Party motion defined Zionism as an ideology supporting 'an ethnonationalist Jewish state' and called for a 'single democratic Palestinian state'. The motion was passed by party members by a vote of 1,022 to 813.
03How have Jewish groups reacted to the Green Party motion?
The Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Jewish Leadership Council condemned the motion, calling it antisemitic. They stated that Zionism is anti-racism and that branding British Jews as racist stokes anti-Jewish hatred.
04What are the concerns raised by voters in Holborn and St Pancras?
Labour candidate Sagal Abdi-Wali reported that voters in Holborn and St Pancras are worried about the divisive nature of the Green Party's Zionism motion. She stated that constituents have expressed concerns about the proposal and its implications for a two-state solution.
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