Polish party leader denounces anti-Semitism, praises Israel

Poland’s most powerful politician denounces anti-Semitism and praises the “great” state of Israel at a ceremony honoring Poles who protected Jews during the Holocaust.

Jaroslaw Kaczynski, chief of the governing conservative Law and Justice party, spoke at an outdoor ceremony attended by Israeli, US and British officials and organized by From the Depths, a foundation established by descendants of Jewish Holocaust survivors.

Poland’s most powerful politician Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the leader of the ruling party, denounces anti-Semitism and praises Israel, at a ceremony honoring Poles who protected Jews during the Holocaust, in Warsaw, Poland, September 18, 2017.(AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

In rare remarks on international relations, Kaczynski said Israel owes its existence to the “power of spirit, power of the mind, determination and courage” of its people. He denounced anti-Semitism as a “very dangerous” phenomenon that is expressed through hostility toward the country.

“In its way, in a real way, Israel is a great state,” Kaczynski said, calling the Mideast country an “outpost of our civilization.”

— AP