Story perspectives

Israel bans Green Party leader over Zionism motion

By Drooid · Oct 5, 2026, 1:59 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Sa'ar Bans Polanski

Israel's foreign minister Gideon Sa'ar barred Green Party leader Zack Polanski from entering Israel.
The ban followed the Green Party’s Brighton conference motion labeling Zionism racism, with 1,022 votes for and 813 against.
The motion calls for a single democratic Palestinian state and rejects a two-state solution.
Israel’s foreign ministry called the resolution antisemitic, saying it denies Jewish people’s right to self-determination.

Summary

Mirvis Condemns Motion

Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis said the Green Party motion threatens British Jews and Britain.
Zack Polanski campaigned in the Holborn and St Pancras by-election, missing the Green Party conference vote.
Andy Burnham called for proportional representation, saying it could enable a centre-left coalition that includes the Greens.
Paul Ovenden warned the motion makes the Greens impossible to accommodate in any future administration.

History

Historical Context

In 1975 the UN General Assembly, backed by the Soviet Union and a Third-World bloc, adopted Resolution 3379 declaring Zionism a form of racism. The decision echoed earlier UN involvement in the 1947 Partition plan (Resolution 181) and was revoked on 16 December 1991 politically after the Cold War ended.

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Sa'ar Bans Polanski

Israel's foreign minister Gideon Sa'ar barred Green Party leader Zack Polanski from entering Israel.
The ban followed the Green Party’s Brighton conference motion labeling Zionism racism, with 1,022 votes for and 813 against.
The motion calls for a single democratic Palestinian state and rejects a two-state solution.
Israel’s foreign ministry called the resolution antisemitic, saying it denies Jewish people’s right to self-determination.

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