Evening Standard
· collected 2026-10-05 · by Stewart Carr and Michael Howie
Israel has banned Green Party leader Zack Polanski from entering the country following the party’s controversial vote at its annual conference in Brighton. The motion, supported by 1,022 votes and opposed by 813, equates Zionism with racism and calls for a single-state solution from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea. Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs characterized this as an antisemitic resolution under the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition, leading to Polanski’s immediate ban from entering Israel. The Green Party is divided over the motion, with several senior figures opposing it and amendments aimed at protecting Jewish members ultimately rejected.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-05,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
A controversial motion calling for the move at the party’s annual conference in Brighton saw 1,022 votes in favour and 813 against.
asserted
motion → call → favour
Israel accused the Green Party of legitimising “the destruction of the State of Israel” with a “clear antisemitic text”.
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Israel → accuse → text
In a statement on Sunday evening, Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the Greens’ 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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it → say → determination
“Therefore, as a first step, foreign minister Gideon Sa’ar has decided this evening to declare Green Party leader Zack Polanski barred from entering Israel,” it said.
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it → decide → Israel
“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,” it added.
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it → adopt → Israel
In a statement with Green MPs and his deputies, Mr Polanski said there is “no conflict between supporting the rights of Palestinians and the rights of Jewish people”.
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Polanski → say → people
The motion was passed despite opposition from several senior figures within the party.
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motion → pass → party
Brought forward by the members' group Greens 4 Palestine, it defines Zionism as a political ideology advocating "an ethno-nationalist Jewish State" and calls for the establishment of a single Palestinian state with equal rights for all citizens, including Jewish people.
However, the motion also states that Zionism should be “treated as any other form of racism”, which critics point out could include practicing Jews and members of synagogues across Britain - making it impossible for them to join the Greens.
uncertain
them → bring → Greens
Westminster leader Ellie Chowns made a last-minute intervention calling for the motion to be defeated, while former party leaders Sian Berry, Adrian Ramsay and Carla Denyer were also critical of the proposal.
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leaders → make → proposal
The party's deputy leaders were split, with Rachel Millward voting against the motion while fellow deputy leader Mothin Ali backed it.
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Ali → split → it
Green leader Zack Polanski did not vote on the motion itself, but supported amendments that would have softened some of its language and added protections for Jewish members who identify as Zionists.
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who → vote → Zionists
Those amendments were rejected.
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amendments → reject → ?
The motion was selected for debate after topping a ballot of issues submitted by party members for discussion at conference.
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motion → select → conference
Following the vote, a joint statement was sent out which was originally attributed to the party’s five MPs and later reissued to include Mr Polanski and deputy leaders Mothin Ali and Rachel Millward.
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which → follow → Polanski
The statement reads: “As Green Party leaders and MPs, we will always uphold universal human rights.
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we → read → rights
We will never tolerate any form of discrimination or harassment.
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We → tolerate → discrimination
“We will continue to stand in opposition to genocide, ethnic cleansing, apartheid and the illegal occupation.
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We → continue → genocide
We will continue to call out the heinous crimes of the Netanyahu government.
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We → continue → government
“And we will continue to work to ensure that the Green Party is an anti-racist party in every way.
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Party → continue → way
We know there is no conflict between supporting the rights of Palestinians and the rights of Jewish people.”
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We → know → people
The Green Party's existing policy has supported either a one-state or two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict if achieved through a democratic process.
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policy → exist → process
The newly approved motion specifically calls for a single Palestinian state and does not advocate a two-state settlement.
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motion → approve → settlement
Under Green Party rules, the decision means the motion will now form part of official party policy.
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motion → mean → policy
In a statement following the vote, a party spokesperson said: "This has been a serious and deeply felt debate within our membership.
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This → follow → membership
Our members value the ability to bring forward and decide party policy, and conference has now made its decision.
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conference → value → decision
“The Green Party is an anti-racist party and has consistently opposed the illegal occupation of both Palestinian and Syrian land, called for an end to arms sales to the Israeli government and spoken out fearlessly about the devastating situation in Gaza and the West Bank.
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Party → oppose → Gaza
“Those positions remain central to our approach.
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positions → remain → approach
So too does our deeply-held commitment to equality, justice and human rights for all, and opposition to racism in all its forms.
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commitment → do → forms
Only 1,835 members participated in the vote, despite the party having a membership of more than 200,000.
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party → participate → 200,000
The Aporia
