The leader of the UK’s Green Party, Zack Polanski, was questioned on a TV show on Sunday about his party’s recent conference vote that defined Zionism as a form of racism. (Mr Polanski is himself Jewish.)
This vote has been interpreted, both by many of its supporters as well as its detractors, as a vote to dismantle the State of Israel.
Avoiding making direct comment on the controversial conference vote, he said, “I think what’s controversial is that 75,000 Palestinians have been murdered in the last few years…”
His figures apparently came from a survey published in The Lancet Global Health which concluded that approximately 75,200 people were killed violently in Gaza between October 7, 2023 (which was the start of Israel’s retaliation for the Hamas-led attacks on Israel), and January 5, 2025.
Let’s be very clear – I am not defending the actions of the Israeli government or the Israeli military. But It is worth pointing out the very obvious fact that the deaths in question have taken place in a war. The war was started by Hamas and its associates. The deaths include a large number of armed fighters, and it is well documented that Hamas deliberately uses Palestinian civilians as human shields.
It’s remarkable therefore that the leader of a mainstream political party frames the casualty figures as ‘murders’ – a term which is generally used only by extreme anti-Israel propagandists.
World opinion is turning inexorably against Israel, just as the prophets said it will in the last days: ‘Behold, I am about to make Jerusalem a cup of staggering to all the surrounding peoples. The siege of Jerusalem will also be against Judah. On that day I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples. All who lift it will surely hurt themselves. And all the nations of the earth will gather against it’ (Zechariah 12:2-3).
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Chris Parkin