UK Green Party Leader Zack Polanski Accuses IDF of Staging False Flag Attacks
UK Green Party leader Zack Polanski accused the IDF of staging false flag operations and cited the Hannibal Directive, drawing sharp criticism amid ongoing antisemitism controversies.
Zack Polanski, the leader of the UK Green Party, has accused the IDF of staging "false flag" attacks, claiming there are "definitely examples" of events orchestrated by Israel. These controversial remarks, revealed by the British newspaper The Telegraph, come amid an antisemitism storm surrounding the Green Party during Polanski's first year in office.
False Flag Claims and the Hannibal Directive
In an episode of his podcast "Bold Politics" broadcast last summer, Polanski stated: "What I find very difficult to navigate is antisemitism on the left. Because again, I want to be very clear: there are definitely examples where the Israeli government has used false flags." He further referred to the Hannibal Directive, alleging that it proves within the Israeli military that if a soldier is captured, they would rather be killed than taken hostage, claiming this is "proven and real."
The Hannibal Directive was officially rescinded in 2016, and its original purpose was to prevent the abduction of soldiers. However, a 2024 report by the Institute for Strategic Dialogue found that the directive became central to false conspiracy theories alleging that Israeli forces killed civilians on October 7. Polanski acknowledged that some on the left might see false flags without evidence, warning that this harms the fight against real antisemitism.
Past Controversies and Security Concerns
This is not the first time Polanski has courted controversy. Last May, he was forced to apologize after criticizing the police response to terror attacks in Golders Green, London. Polanski shared a post attacking officers for kicking a terrorist after he had been tasered, leading the Metropolitan Police Commissioner to accuse the Green Party leader of sharing an "inaccurate and misleading" post.
Despite his apology for that post, Polanski has refused to retract past statements suggesting that the Jewish community experiences only a "feeling of insecurity" rather than a real threat, despite a series of attacks on synagogues and the torching of community ambulances in Golders Green.
