The British Green Party classifies Zionism as racist, and Ukraine and Germany sign an arms deal

The left-leaning British Green Party on Sunday classified Zionism as a “form of racism,” in a vote it held during its annual conference, in a move that sparked angry reactions from British Jewish groups and the Israeli government.

Members of the Green Party, which holds five seats in the 650-seat British House of Commons, and which made progress in the recent local and by-elections, approved the classification with 1,022 members supporting it and 813 members opposing it.

The resolution stipulates that Zionism will be treated “like any other form of racism,” and that the party will support the establishment of “a single democratic Palestinian state on the entire territory of historic Palestine.”

The party's popularity is rising under the leadership of Zach Polanski, attracting voters who reject the Labor government's position on the war in the Gaza Strip.

Three organizations representing the Jewish community said in a letter to the party before the vote, “Approval of this proposal would make the Green Party the first British political party with electoral weight to approve, in contemporary memory, a political program that appears to include explicitly anti-Semitic positions.”

The organizations warned of “the repercussions this may have on the security and safety of all British Jews.”

For its part, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs warned that this policy exceeds “the bounds of legitimate political debate.”

She added: “All political parties in Britain, especially the ruling Labor Party, must unequivocally reject this shameful decision.”

Israeli President Isaac Herzog also described the party's decision as a "disgrace." Herzog’s post on the “X” platform said, “Zionism is the national liberation movement of the Jewish people, and it forms the basis for the right of the Jewish people to establish a state and a national homeland in the Land of Israel.”

Although at least three of the party's five deputies opposed the draft resolution, Polanski said earlier this week that the "displacement and genocide of the Palestinian people" constituted "clearly racism."

Bosnians went to the polls on Sunday to participate in national elections after years of political turmoil and deep divisions between the groups that make up the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina. These elections may affect the country's efforts to join the European Union, and the influence that the United States and Russia seek to exercise over the small country in the Balkans.

Voters voted to choose members of Bosnia's tripartite presidency and parliamentarians, in addition to local legislative elections in the two federal entities that make up the state. The head of Bosnia's Central Election Commission, Jovan Kalaba, told reporters in Sarajevo that some polling stations were forced to close temporarily due to problems in the electronic voting system. The committee changed the design of ballot papers and introduced a new system for biometric identification of voters and electronic scanning devices, which it said were aimed at reducing fraud. Kalaba explained that the participation rate reached 11.94 percent by 11 a.m., compared to about 15 percent at the same time during the 2022 elections.

EU accession talks

Voter frustration has increased due to the slowdown in the economy, the slow pace of EU accession talks, and the continuing political crisis. The dominant, predominantly ethnic parties in the two entities have repeatedly obstructed the weak central government decisions linking them together.

Bosnia is finding it difficult to recover since the bloody war that took place between 1992 and 1995. It obtained the status of a candidate country for membership in the European Union in December 2022, and the green light to begin negotiations to join the bloc in 2024. But the actual negotiations have not yet begun. Because local political leaders have not yet implemented basic requirements such as strengthening judicial oversight and passing anti-corruption laws.

The war ended with the conclusion of the “Dayton Peace Agreement” in 1995, mediated by the United States, which divided Bosnia along ethnic lines into the Republika Srpska, the Federation of Bosniaks (Bosniaks), and the Croats, linked by a central government and a tripartite presidency.

Go beyond the rhetoric of division

Many voters in the country, which has a population of about 3.4 million, say they want to move beyond the divisive rhetoric, but the political landscape appears stuck in place. Parties established based on ethnic orientations are competing in these elections, namely the Bosnian Democratic Action Party, the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats, and the Croatian Democratic Union affiliated with the nationalist movement, facing multi-ethnic opposition alliances led by the Social Democratic Party. Data from the “Polyoev Platform,” which tracks election trends, indicate that the Democratic Action Party has a narrow lead in Bosnia at 21.4 percent, followed by the Social Democratic Party with 16.7 percent. In Republika Srpska, the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats led by Milorad Dodik, which calls for closer relations with Serbia and Russia, leads with 34.2 percent. “We choose those who can manage some operations, build society, and make Republika Srpska safe and stable,” said Zelka Cvijanovic, the candidate of the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats seeking to win a second term in the tripartite presidency.

If ethnic-based parties win and continue their disagreements within the central government, which will eventually officially join the European Union, progress in the accession process is likely to falter further. Ismail Garaslijevic (51 years old), a high school teacher in the capital, Sarajevo, said: “After more than 30 years of war, the situation is still the same. “We still talk about nationalism...the same faces and the same story all the time.”

Major powers have long sought to extend their influence over Bosnia. The European Union seeks to expand its membership in the Balkan region, including Bosnia, but Russia is obstructing these efforts by continuing its support for Republika Srpska. The United States has also tried to strengthen its influence, and is pushing for a $1.5 billion pipeline project to import American liquefied natural gas, operated by a company with ties to the administration of US President Donald Trump, but the European Union has warned that choosing the company lacks competitive transparency. Washington also entered into disputes with Brussels regarding the role of the international high representative, who, under the Dayton Agreement, is responsible for enforcing the implementation of laws.

Ukraine and Germany signed an arms deal worth $1.5 billion to help confront the escalation of Russian drone attacks, while a solidarity visit by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Sunday coincided with new strikes and sirens in Kiev.

The agreement includes weapons for combat drones, and support for the severely damaged Ukrainian energy sector, which Russia targets by cutting off heating and electricity during the extremely cold winter months, according to what Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on the “X” platform.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz arrived in Kiev on Sunday to confirm European support for Ukraine, while Russia escalates its strikes on the capital. It targeted a bridge again, and sirens sounded repeatedly, including while Zelensky was accompanying Chancellor Friedrich Merz to inspect the damage to the National Academy of Sciences, after it was targeted by a Russian attack drone last Monday, killing two people.

“Here we can realize the complete absurdity of this war,” Mertz said, adding: “These barbaric attacks on the Ukrainian civilian population must stop.”

Targeting a bridge in Kyiv

An explosion heard across the city damaged the road surface on the Northern Bridge, one of several bridges linking eastern and western Kiev over the Dnieper River, which has been subjected to repeated strikes over the past four days.

Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko said that Kiev, which has largely remained untouched by the devastation of areas near the front lines during nearly 5 years of conflict, should now be on alert due to the escalation of attacks.

Continuous, round-the-clock attacks have targeted residential areas, gas stations, schools, and railway and communications infrastructure, while near-constant sirens disrupt daily life and keep residents in a state of tension.

This comes as Zelensky reported on Sunday that the United States is seeking to mediate a new round of talks between Ukraine and Russia with the aim of ending the war that has been going on for four and a half years, to be held by the end of October.

Upon his arrival, Merz warned Ukraine that supporting Ukraine was vital to Europe's security. Mertz announced that “Ukraine needs our full support in the coming weeks,” adding that “if Russia is not stopped, its military machine will turn to us sooner or later.”

Ukraine has repeatedly demanded advanced interception systems to shoot down new, fast Russian drones equipped with jet engines, in addition to powerful ballistic missiles.

Joint production of drones

Mertz said during a joint press conference with Zelensky that the latest agreement stipulates the joint production of drones designed to intercept jet drones. He added: “Major technical breakthroughs have already been achieved in this field in recent weeks.” He continued: “Production is now being increased, and this is rapidly and significantly strengthening Ukraine’s air defense.”

Mertz also said: “We are supplying Ukraine with long-range weapons, combat drones, and satellite technologies, so that it can also target Russian launch sites.”

On Sunday, Russia vowed to intensify its strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure, in response to statements by Zelensky in which he vowed to increase attacks on Russian oil refineries.

This week, Meretz called for unity in confronting Russia within NATO and Europe, as well as in his country. The far-right Alternative for Germany party, which is close to Moscow, is on the rise.

The Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement: “Following the statements made by Zelensky, strikes by the Russian Armed Forces on military and industrial facilities, as well as on associated infrastructure, in Kiev and other regions of Ukraine will be intensified.” Security was one of voters' top concerns in the weekend elections in Latvia, a NATO member that shares a border with Russia.

On Saturday, Russia warned foreigners and diplomats not to remain in Kiev, saying it would be subjected to new “large-scale” air strikes. Leaders of countries allied with Ukraine continued their visits despite a similar threat issued in May.

The European Union Ambassador to Ukraine, Katarina Mathernova, wrote on “X” on Sunday: “The European Union mission remains. Our threat will not stop Europe’s support for Ukraine, but only reminds us of the importance of this support!”

“No one is leaving,” Katarina Mathernova said, adding that European embassies always have emergency plans, including for the winter, as quoted by Agence France-Presse.

Meretz told reporters that he was not affected by the threat, but did not know if it had been issued to coincide with his visit.

Russia admitted that it was deliberately targeting the Ukrainian energy sector as winter approached. Last year, similar attacks led to power and heating outages for days on end, with temperatures dropping to minus 20 degrees Celsius.

In Kiev, which is home to about 3 million people, residents began thinking about what they would do if this happened again. The government also suggested that the most vulnerable people and people with disabilities should consider leaving the city. Mertz said that the value of the winter support program provided by Berlin amounts to about 350 million euros to help provide generators, conversion stations, and repair the electricity network.