What happened
The leader of the British Green Party, Zack Polanski, has been banned from entering Israel after his party adopted a motion declaring Zionism as racism. The motion was voted in favor of by a measure of 1,022 to 813 at the party's annual conference in Brighton.
The motion states that Zionism should be treated as any other form of racism and advocates for a single Palestinian state, which would essentially mean the destruction of Israel as a country. Israel's Foreign Ministry has announced that it has ordered an entry ban on Polanski, saying that the party he leads gives legitimacy to terrorism.
Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid condemned the motion, saying that it legitimizes armed struggle and labels the aspiration of the Jewish people for self-determination as racist. The motion has caused a rift within the party, with some members condemning it as divisive and a sign that Jewish people are not welcome in the party.
Polanski, who is Jewish, had sought to hedge his support for the motion, but ultimately agreed with the sentiment that Zionism can be racist if it involves the displacement of the Palestinian people. The ban on Polanski and the party's new policy have sparked controversy and raised questions about Polanski's leadership.
