{"id":475405,"date":"2026-06-04T06:18:11","date_gmt":"2026-06-04T06:18:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/475405\/"},"modified":"2026-06-04T06:18:11","modified_gmt":"2026-06-04T06:18:11","slug":"uk-greens-jewish-anti-israel-leader-backs-monitoring-british-israeli-idf-soldiers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/475405\/","title":{"rendered":"UK Greens\u2019 Jewish, anti-Israel leader backs ‘monitoring’ British-Israeli IDF soldiers"},"content":{"rendered":"

Zack Polanski, the Jewish, anti-Israel leader of Britain\u2019s Green Party, has backed a call to monitor UK-Israeli nationals who have recently served in the Israel Defense Forces, British media reported Wednesday.<\/p>\n

Polanski signed a letter organized last month by the far-left Declassified Britain publication and the International Centre of Justice for Palestinians, which urges tracking the entry of dual nationals as they come into the country as being \u201cin the public interest\u201d due to possible war crimes suspicions.<\/p>\n

\u201cNobody wants to live next to a potential war criminal \u2013 not least members of the Palestinian community in the UK who have family or friends who have been subjected to war crimes,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n

The letter was sent to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood and Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper.<\/p>\n

It said that signatories \u201cbelieve the public interest is best served by monitoring the entry of British-Israeli dual national citizens into the UK and investigating potential links to war crimes, in cases where they have served in the Israel Defense Forces.\u201d<\/p>\n

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It called for implementing a disclosure of service in the IDF and \u201csubjecting travelers with Israeli travel documents or arriving from an origin of Tel Aviv airport\u201d to potential secondary screening.<\/p>\n

The letter also urged investigations \u201cin compliance with the obligation to ensure accountability for the most serious crimes under international law.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tIDF soldiers occupy a military position overlooking the Yellow Line in the central Gaza Strip, May 26, 2026. (AP Photo\/Ariel Schalit)<\/p>\n

According to Declassified UK, some 2,000 British-Israelis have served in the IDF since October 7, 2023, when the Palestinian terror group Hamas led an invasion of southern Israel that killed 1,200 people and triggered the war.<\/p>\n

The letter was also signed by some other British MPs, including Labour\u2019s Dianne Abbot and former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn.<\/p>\n

Israel vehemently denies committing war crimes during its offensive in the Gaza Strip. It has said it seeks to minimize civilian fatalities and stresses that Hamas uses Gaza\u2019s civilians as human shields, fighting from civilian areas including homes, hospitals, schools, and mosques.<\/p>\n

A spokesperson for the Board of Deputies of British Jews, the main body representing British Jewry, told the Jewish News<\/a> the petition \u201cseems to be another attempt to demonise Israelis and promote an atmosphere of intimidation against British Jews.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe call of those who have signed it, including Zack Polanski, to treat people as potential criminals just because of their passport is a unique and wholly unacceptable form of discrimination,\u201d the board said.<\/p>\n

A spokesman for Polanski told The Telegraph<\/a> newspaper, \u201cThe IDF has been credibly accused of horrific war crimes in Gaza by bodies including the UN Human Rights Council, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, and the UK Government should be taking robust action against any British citizen complicit in these crimes.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n\t\tPalestinians walk along a street surrounded by buildings destroyed by Israeli military strikes during the Israel-Hamas war in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, May 29, 2026. (AP Photo\/Abdel Kareem Hana)<\/p>\n

In May, Metropolitan Police\u2019s War Crimes Unit, closed a probe into 10 Britons<\/a> opened following a war crimes complaint.<\/p>\n

The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry says more than 72,000 people in the Strip have been killed during the war \u2014 including over 600 since the October 2025 ceasefire \u2014 though the toll does not differentiate between civilians and combatants.<\/p>\n

The Israeli military believes that Hamas\u2019s overall toll is largely accurate, with IDF officials estimating that two to three civilians were killed for every dead terror operative.<\/p>\n

The IDF says it has killed over 23,000 combatants in Gaza and another 1,600 terrorists inside Israel during the October 7 onslaught.<\/p>\n


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