Key facts
- Polanski stated that 75,000 Palestinians have been murdered in the last few years.
- He believes the idea of a two-state solution is "for the birds."
- Vivien Lichtenstein, head of the Jewish Greens, was criticized by Polanski.
- Polanski co-founded the Jewish Greens with Lichtenstein.
Zack Polanski, the leader of the Green Party in England and Wales, has defended his stance that Zionism is racist and questioned the right of any state to exist. In an interview with the BBC on Sunday, two weeks after his party passed a motion equating Zionism with racism, Polanski stated that the practical application of Zionism is racist. He argued that the murder of 75,000 Palestinians in recent years, including child amputees, demonstrates this. Polanski also asserted that no state has a right to exist under international law and dismissed the two-state solution as unfeasible. He expressed no regrets about his handling of the controversy, despite criticism from some Jewish Green members, including Vivien Lichtenstein, with whom he co-founded the Jewish Greens. Polanski claimed a majority of Jewish Greens supported the motion.