Diplomat: Israel-Poland pact on youth trips has educational, security parts
Lazar Berman is The Times of Israel's diplomatic reporter
The agreement signed yesterday between Poland and Israel over the return of Israeli youth Holocaust trips has two parts, an Israeli diplomat tells The Times of Israel.
The first details security arrangements for the trips, some of which will remain classified even after the Knesset approves the pact.
The second section contains compromises on the content of the trips. Poland backed down on many of their demands, says the diplomat. What remains is an emphasis on encounters between Polish and Israeli youth, and an Israel commitment to include visits that give visitors an appreciation of Poland’s history and culture, not just Holocaust sites.
There will be a list of relevant sites in Poland, some of which will be Jewish sites, including the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews.
There will be no mandatory sites that Israeli students will have to visit, says the diplomat.
Some of the youth encounters will include visits by Polish students to Israel.
Full details of the agreement will be released once it is approved by the Knesset
