Israel bars British Green Party leader from entering country

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar on Sunday decided to bar British Green Party leader Zack Polanski from entering Israel, in response to his party adopting a resolution declaring Zionism a form of racism.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry said in a statement on X that Sa’ar had decided “to declare Green Party leader Zack Polanski barred from entering Israel” after his party adopted the resolution, adding that the decision was made in coordination with the relevant Israeli authorities.

Earlier on Sunday, the Green Party adopted the resolution at its conference in Brighton, with 56 per cent voting in favour and 44 per cent against, describing Zionism as a “racist ideology”.

With the adoption of the motion, describing Zionism as a “racist movement” became part of the party’s official policy.

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According to the BBC, the resolution calls for a single Palestinian state across all of historic Palestine, where everyone, including Jews, would have equal rights, with no reference to Israel continuing as a separate state or to a two-state solution.

“Today, the Green Party in Britain adopted a resolution equating Zionism with racism, legitimising armed struggle against Israel, and calling for the establishment of a Palestinian state “from the river to the sea” – meaning the destruction of the State of Israel,” the Israeli Foreign Ministry said.

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

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