Zack Polanski: Why the Jewish community must speak up for Gaza
Polanski, who went to a Jewish school in Manchester and was brought up with 'very Zionist' views, has said there is a 'moral imperative' for Jews to call out the massacre of innocent Palestinians and empower Palestinian voices.
The Green Party deputy leader – who is aiming to head up at the party – told the Jewish News earlier this week he was raised to believe Israel 'should be defended at all costs'.
But he has since adopted anti-Zionist views, telling The National a 'turning point' came when he spoke to a pair of ex-IDF soldiers who are now speaking out about Israel's actions.
'A real turning point was a couple of years ago I met with some ex-IDF soldiers from a group called Breaking the Silence, who have served in the military and are now speaking out in the way the military is oppressing the Palestinian people,' said Polanski.
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'It was such a powerful experience to hear from people who have been on the front line and are now bravely speaking out.
'I realised the moral imperative for those of us who are Jewish and feel comfortable to speak out to use our voices. I think Jewish voices have an important role to play in calling it out and I think all of us need to lift and empower Palestinian voices.'
This week it emerged Labour has licensed exports of more military equipment to Israel in the final three months of 2024 than the Tories did for all of 2020 to 2023.
Analysis of strategic export control licensing statistics published on Thursday showed that £127.6 million of military equipment was sent to Israel between October and December 2024.
(Image: LDRS) Figures from the UK Government and CAAT show that in 2020, £31m worth of military equipment was sent to Israel, £24m was in 2021, £42m in 2022, and £18m in 2023. This totals around £115m.
The licences were granted after the Labour Government suspended around 30 of 350 licences to Israel amid concerns the equipment would be used to breach international law.
The UK Government has been in the High Court this week defending its decision not to include parts for F-35 fighter jets, which have been used by Israel in Gaza, in the suspended licences.
At the hearing, Labour's lawyers argued that the evidence does not support findings that a genocide has taken or is taking place in Gaza – despite the UK Government publicly insisting that any determination of genocide is for the courts and not them.
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Israel is credibly accused of committing genocide in Gaza, with the International Court of Justice saying Palestinians' right to be protected from the crime faces "plausible" risk.
Polanski said taking action over what is happening in Gaza is the 'most prominent moral litmus test of our time' for politicians.
But he added the lack of movement from Labour shows there is a growing gap between 'establishment politics and where the public are'.
'People are horrified by what they are seeing nightly on our TV and phone screens – to see the massacre of innocent people, the genocide, to see this occurring and to be speaking out in record numbers, and yet seeing a government who are still selling arms to Israel and who are complicit in the killing that's happening,' he said.
'It reminds me of the Iraq War where a million people marched, and it made no difference.
'During that time we didn't have social media though and it feels the way in which people are now connected and the way it's been so utterly exposed, the fact that the government will always favour capital and the industrial military complex and destruction of people's lives over doing the right thing, even when it means standing up to status and power, has never been clearer."
Asked about the latest statistics on Labour's licencing of military exports to Israel, he went on: 'I think a few years ago I would've been gobsmacked to find that out, but this is in a context of a Government that is cutting winter fuel payments, cutting support for some of the most severely disabled people in our country.
'On almost any issue of moral clarity, this Labour government is failing.'
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