Poland issues threat to detain Netanyahu at Auschwitz
Date
12/23/2024 6:56:10 AM
(MENAFN) Poland has warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of possible arrest if he attends next month’s ceremonies marking the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. The country’s Deputy Foreign Minister, Wladyslaw Bartoszewski, stated in an interview with Rzeczpospolita that Poland, as a signatory of the Rome Statute, is bound to enforce directives from the International Criminal Court (ICC). The ICC issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in November, accusing them of war crimes related to the Gaza conflict, specifically allegations of using starvation as a method of warfare by depriving civilians in Gaza of essential resources.
Israel's Education Minister Yoav Kisch is expected to represent the country at the Auschwitz commemoration, with President Isaac Herzog’s attendance seeming unlikely. While all EU member states must enforce ICC warrants, countries have had varied responses. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has welcomed Netanyahu, assuring that Hungary will not enforce the warrant, whereas nations like Spain, Belgium, and Lithuania have indicated their intent to comply with the court’s orders.
Netanyahu has strongly criticized the ICC’s actions, calling them politically motivated and comparing them to the historical Dreyfus affair. Auschwitz, the site of Nazi atrocities during World War II, saw the murder of over 1.1 million people, mainly Jews, as well as Poles and Soviet POWs.
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