Zack Polanski slams Board of Deputies for weaponising antisemitism smears

A school stopped a pro-Israel MP from spreading his propaganda there because parents and teachers peacefully protested his attendance. But lobbyists for the genocidal apartheid state have thrown a tantrum in response. Fortunately, Jewish leader of the Green Party Zack Polanski is having none of it.

Damien Egan is an anti-Palestinian MP who, having only taken up the role in 2024, has already received money from Labour Friends of Israel Ltd. The convert to Judaism is also a vice-chair of the “opaquely funded” pro-Israel lobby group. So it’s hardly surprising parents and teachers felt uncomfortable about him speaking to their kids.

The right-wing Board of Deputies of British Jews, however, has long co-led the witch hunt against critics of Israeli crimes. And it wasn’t going to let this opportunity to weaponise dodgy antisemitism allegations pass.

Zack Polanski has had enough

Zack Polanski was quick to call their bullshit out, though, stating clearly that:

Conflating Antisemitism with criticism of the Israeli government is dangerous.

Conflating Antisemitism with criticism of the Israeli government is dangerous.

The Board of Deputies keep muddying the waters.

This isn’t about him being Jewish – it’s about his position as Vice-Chair of Labour Friends of Israel. https://t.co/9QBgY7EhMR

— Zack Polanski (@ZackPolanski) January 15, 2026

As prize-winning Jewish author and national treasure Michael Rosen explained, meanwhile:

The present kerfuffle is about cancellers objecting to cancelling.

Pro-Israel lobbyists have long sought to cancel Rosen (along with many others) for his outspoken support of Palestinian rights. But as he said, when they get a taste of that medicine themselves, they don’t like it one bit.

What’s the problem with Egan (and his supporters)?

Egan has received a lot of money from pro-Israel sources, despite being new to politics. And he’s done this in the midst of a livestreamed Israeli genocide no less, in which the settler-colonial power has murdered at least 20,000 children.

As we reported this week:

The Bristol North-East MP is also married to a former member of Israeli intelligence corps, ‘Unit 8200’, who mark their headsets with the number of Palestinians they’ve helped kill.

As Polanski rightly highlighted, the problem with Egan isn’t his conversion to Judaism. It’s his prominent role in the pro-Israel lobby, and the horrific actions of the state he’s lobbying for.

Featured image via Business Green