Zack Polanski accuses Israeli military of staging 'false flag' attacks

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Oct 4, 2026 - 14:18

Zack Polanski accuses Israeli military of staging 'false flag' attacks

Zack Polanski has accused the Israeli military of staging "false flag attacks," it has been revealed.

The comments come in an episode of the Green Party leader's podcast, Bold Politics, in which he claims there are "definitely examples" of the Israeli Government using the military tactic.

"What I find really difficult to navigate is anti-Semitism on the Left," he told listeners.

"Because, again, I want to be really clear: there are definitely examples of where the Israeli government [has] used false flags."

Mr Polanski referred to the Hannibal Directive, which was introduced to prevent the capture of Israeli soldiers and allowed troops to shoot even if their compatriot is caught in the crossfire. It was officially revoked in 2016.

The Greens leader conceded some on the Left can become "distracted" or "see false flags or conspiracy theories in places where we don’t have evidence for it".

He explained: "I think it undermines the real fight against anti-Semitism that we have in this country, which as a Left-wing movement we stand against all forms of racism.

"So that has to be part of it too. I can understand why people are angry. I really understand why people are angry. I can understand why people want to hold people to account as soon as possible.

"How do you harness that true motivation and at the same time encourage people to take a breath and say when we make accusations or when we put things out there, it has to be based [on] evidence - otherwise, we’re undermining our own movement."

$\u200bZack Polanski$

The ongoing Green Party Conference has been shrouded in the "Zionism is Racism" debate this week.

The motion, which declares Zionism "will be treated as any other form of racism", will be voted on by members today.

If passed, the Greens' official policy will describe the movement that led to the creation of Israel as a Jewish state as racist.

"This motion will be implemented by the anti-racism policy working group as appropriate and in accordance with its ordinary practice," the party stated.

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Zack Polanski and Hannah Spencer with Green Party members

Should it be passed, it will also demand the abolition of the state of Israel; instead, it will propose the founding of a "single democratic Palestinian state in all of historic Palestine".

Mr Polanski, who is Jewish, refused to explicitly outline his personal views, and will not be voting on the motion.

Instead, he will be out campaigning ahead of Thursday's Holborn and St Pancras by-election, in which he is standing as the candidate for the Greens.

When asked if Israel had the right to exist, he responded: "I believe that people have a right to exist. Both Israelis have a right to exist and Palestinians have a right to exist.

"I think our job as political parties is to defend the rights of people, not defend the rights of nations."

Caroline Lucas, the Green Party's first MP, told the BBC she has "serious concerns about this motion".

"There is no single definition of Zionism, and irrespective of the intentions of the people who put that motion forward, I think there is a real risk that it’ll be divisive and could be seen as a sign that Jewish people aren’t welcome in the party," she said.

"I will not be supporting it for that reason."

GB News have approached the Greens for comment.

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