PM reportedly won’t attend Auschwitz liberation anniversary, fearing arrest by Poland
Polish report says Herzog also not expected at ceremony, as deputy FM reiterates Warsaw will execute ICC warrant for Netanyahu if he visits
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will avoid traveling to Poland for next month’s events marking the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz Nazi concentration camp, fearing he may be arrested, according to a Polish report on Friday.
The major event is planned for International Holocaust Remembrance Day on January 27 and is expected to be attended by dozens of leaders and heads of state, including Britain’s King Charles.
Polish outlet Rzeczpospolita reported that Israeli authorities have not contacted their Polish counterparts about attending the event, and officials in Warsaw believe the reason is related to Poland’s pledge that it will adhere to the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant for Netanyahu over possible war crimes in the ongoing conflict with Hamas.
The country’s deputy foreign minister reiterated Warsaw’s stance on enforcing ICC warrants to the newspaper when asked for comment.
The report also said President Isaac Herzog does not plan to attend the event in late January, though his predecessor Reuven Rivlin traveled to Poland for the 75th anniversary.
With neither the head of government nor state set to attend, Education Minister Yoav Kisch is instead expected to represent Israel at the ceremony.
There was no statement on the report from the Prime Minister’s Office.
Netanyahu has not traveled to Europe since the ICC issued the warrants for him and former defense minister Yoav Gallant last month charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity over the war in the Gaza Strip. The court also put out a warrant for Hamas military chief Muhammad Deif, whom Israel says has been killed.
Like all other European Union member states, Poland is bound to execute the warrants as a signatory to the ICC’s founding treaty. It’s unclear, however, whether all EU countries would arrest Netanyahu if he were to visit one, with France having declared it believes the premier has immunity to actions by the ICC as Israel has not signed up to the court statutes. Italy has said it is not feasible to arrest Netanyahu as long as he remains head of Israel’s government.
Israel has strongly rejected the substance of the allegations and appealed against the warrants related to the fighting in Gaza, which was sparked by the Hamas-led onslaught against southern Israel last October in which Palestinian terrorists killed some 1,200 people and took 251 hostages while committing brutal atrocities.
