British Green Party and leader ported from Israel

It is not common for congressional decisions taken by small parties to be condemned by other countries. But it happened after the British Green Party at a conference last weekend adopted a motion which states that "Zionism" is "an ethno-nationalist project" and thus should be classified as racism.

Israel responded by immediately banning party leader Zack Polanski from entering the country.

The British government recently halted all trade in goods from Israeli settlements, sparking a diplomatic crisis. Israel plans to close the British consulate in Jerusalem, after which Britain threatened to expel 27 Israeli diplomats. The Green Party's policy decision to label Zionism racist has little real foreign policy significance - the party only has five seats in the House of Commons - but blocks the increasingly chilly relationship between the countries. "A stain on Great Britain's history", the Israeli Foreign Ministry calls the party motion.

Even domestically, the reactions have been strong. "Poisonous anti-Semitism," was the comment of British Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvi.

Opinion polls show that the majority of the Jewish population in Great Britain consider themselves Zionists in one way or another. Zionism is an umbrella term for a heterogeneous movement that emerged in the 19th century with the goal of creating an independent Jewish state in the historic area of ​​Palestine and that arose as a response to widespread anti-Semitism and pogroms. This background is not something that the Green Party relates to in its decision, nor that many Zionists are in favor of a two-state solution.

"Today's Greens are convinced that they are advancing the cause of anti-racism."

The motion states that the party recognizes the Palestinian people's right to resist the occupation "with all available means". The critics interpret it as a defense of terror.

Party leader Polanski, who wanted to see changes to the proposal and ultimately chose not to take part in the vote, has said that Zionism, when defined as "the displacement and genocide of the Palestinian people", is "obviously" racist.

Many analysts and experts have rejected such a definition. This includes the writer and columnist Jonathan Freedland, who calls Polanski's argument empty and illogical.

He believes that the party's decision is ill-founded and misdirected because it will primarily target British Jews and not the State of Israel.

"The Christian persecutors of the Inquisition were convinced they were honoring Jesus; today's Greens are convinced they are advancing the cause of anti-racism, while persecuting, defaming and shaming a small minority," writes Freedland in The Guardian.