Dispute before commemoration: Poland: Netanyahu would not be arrested at Auschwitz commemoration

Poland has signaled to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is wanted on an arrest warrant, that he will not face arrest if he takes part in the commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp. Any representative of the Israeli leadership who wants to take part on January 27th can feel safe and will not be arrested, said Prime Minister Donald Tusk in Warsaw. His cabinet passed a corresponding resolution.

However, Netanyahu had announced weeks ago that the commemoration had not been in his calendar from the start.

According to Tusk, Israel will be represented by its education minister. A spokesman for the Polish Foreign Ministry also said that there was no indication yet that Netanyahu wanted to take part in the commemoration. According to the memorial, delegations from ten countries have already confirmed their participation.

The name Auschwitz is burned into the consciousness of the world as a synonym for the Holocaust and the epitome of evil. There alone, the German National Socialists killed more than a million people, mostly Jews. Across Europe they murdered around six million Jews during the Shoah.

Controversial arrest warrant against Netanyahu

At the end of November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants against Netanyahu and his former defense minister Joav Galant for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip. It is the first international arrest warrant against a Western head of government, and it caused severe international criticism.

Canada, Italy and the Netherlands – the court’s host country – immediately declared that they would fulfill their obligation and arrest Netanyahu during a visit. Others expressed reservations. France, for example, said it would respect the law. At the same time, Paris doubted whether Netanyahu did not enjoy immunity. Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban was clear: he demonstratively extended an invitation to Netanyahu and wanted to ignore the arrest warrant.

Tusk angered by President Duda’s initiative

Before the Polish cabinet’s decision, President Andrzej Duda appealed in a letter to Tusk’s government to protect Netanyahu from arrest if he took part. Tusk expressed his anger at Duda’s move. This comes from the ranks of the largest opposition party PiS and likes to put obstacles in the way of the government.

Duda knew that the government was working on a corresponding decision to protect Israeli representatives at the commemoration, Tusk said. “There are matters that should be treated with discretion, especially when they are so weighty and complicated.”

Poland’s Prime Minister emphasized that his government fundamentally recognized the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court. “This decision concerns the commemoration of the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. It is very important for us that Poland is not one of the countries that want to openly and demonstratively ignore the decision of international courts.”