October 9, 2026
The British Green Party received a painful political blow after its leader, Zach Polanski, failed to win the by-elections in the “Holborn and St. Pancras” constituency and enter Parliament. This loss coincides with a state of heated political controversy over the party’s position on Israel, and was followed a few days ago by the party’s approval of a controversial proposal that considers “Zionism to be racist,” a decision that British Prime Minister Andy Burnham called for to be reversed, describing it as “completely wrong” and reflecting “extreme miscalculation.”
According to a report by journalist Dov Gil-Har in the Israeli broadcaster “Kan”, Polanski, a Jewish politician who leads the Green Party in Britain, came in second place behind the Labor Party candidate Sigal Abdi-Wali, in the elections for the parliamentary seat that became vacant due to the departure of outgoing Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who represents the district located north of London. It is noteworthy that Abdi-Wale had arrived in Britain as a child as a refugee from Somalia and later became a social activist.
In her victory speech, Abdi-Wali expressed her deep gratitude to voters, saying: “I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. Whether you voted for me or not, my commitment to this community is deep. I will fight to improve your lives and the lives of your families,” she also thanked the former prime minister for his support.
For his part, Polanski suggested in a post in which he congratulated Abdi-Wali that he had no intention of resigning from the presidency of the party, and said: “I am proud of the campaign we ran. Moving from 10% to 33% of the vote share during the battle for the prime minister’s seat is good, but our ambitions are much higher.” He added: “Now my mission is to focus on the future and drive the change that we know we are capable of achieving. We have a tremendous opportunity to build in preparation for the upcoming elections, and that is what we will focus on.” In a subsequent interview with British media, Polanski explicitly rejected the idea of resignation, stressing that “the movement is much bigger than these elections,” and rejected the claim that his party had been taken over by people for whom Gaza had become their primary issue rather than the environmental issues around which the party was founded.
Polanski had missed the Green Party conference held last Sunday to focus on his election campaign, during which members voted in favor of the “Zionism is racist” proposal. This decision led the party to abandon its long-term support for the two-state solution, to instead adopt a position in favor of the establishment of “a single democratic Palestinian state on the entire territory of historic Palestine.” Polanski has come under sharp criticism from inside and outside the party for not stating a clear position and not showing decisive leadership amid the party’s division over the proposal.
Following the vote, Polanski stressed that he would not accept anyone being removed from the party “because of the religious or community body to which he belongs.” Polanski, known for his highly critical positions on Israeli policies, did not announce his support for the proposal, and expressed special reservations about dropping the two-state solution, explaining by saying: “I do not think that we, as a green party, should decide what the future arrangement will look like,” stressing that the party’s role should be focused on ensuring equal rights for both Israelis and Palestinians.
This electoral loss for Polanski comes at a very sensitive time for the Green Party, coinciding with a raging internal conflict over its political identity and position on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, which makes the election result far from just losing a parliamentary seat, and puts the party’s leadership before a real test regarding the path it has chosen in one of the most divisive issues in the British political scene.
