WARSAW, Poland (AP) — The Polish government has adopted a resolution to ensure the free and safe participation of Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who choose to attend commemorations for the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau later this month.
Netanyahu is an internationally wanted suspect after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for him and others in connection with the war in Gaza, accusing them of crimes against humanity. The Polish government believes that the safe participation of Israeli leaders in the commemorations is a way to pay tribute to the Jewish nation, millions of whose daughters and sons became victims of the Holocaust carried out by the Third Reich.
Polish President Andrzej Duda has asked Prime Minister Donald Tusk to ensure that Netanyahu can attend the commemorations without the risk of being arrested. The commemoration will be attended by international officials and elderly survivors and will take place in Oswiecim, a town that was under German occupation during World War II.
The International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu, but it has no way to enforce it, as Poland is not a member of the court. Israel is also not a member of the ICC, and some countries, including France, have said they would not arrest him. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has even said he would defy the warrant by inviting Netanyahu to Hungary.
The Polish government has denied that there is any risk of Netanyahu being arrested in Poland, calling it “fake news” spread by U.S. media. The commemoration will take place on January 27, the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau by Soviet forces. More than 1.1 million people were murdered at Auschwitz, with most of them being Jewish, but the victims also included Poles, Roma, Soviet prisoners of war, and others.
