Poland commemorates the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz camp this Monday, January 27. The Polish government has invited many international leaders, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
It was an invitation that caused quite a stir, that of Benyamin Netanyahu to the commemorations of the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. This Monday, January 27, Poland pays tribute to the victims and survivors of the Nazi concentration and extermination camp, which was liberated in 1945 by the Red Army after killing more than a million people, mainly Jews. . And to commemorate this historic event at the end of World War II, the Polish government decided to invite many international leaders, including those of Israel. A decision imposed by conservative President Andrzej Duda and followed by Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
But by inviting the Israeli Prime Minister, targeted by an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC) since November 21, on suspicion of crimes against humanity and war crimes in Gaza, Poland is putting itself in a delicate position. The country having ratified the Rome Statute which recognizes the powers of the ICC, it must respect the legal decisions taken by the latter. Concretely, if Benyamin Netanyahu puts it in Poland, the country must arrest him immediately. The Polish government, however, decided to ignore the ICC’s directives: “Whether it is the Prime Minister, the President, or the Minister of Education… Anyone who comes to the Auschwitz ceremonies will have their safety guaranteed and will not be arrested “, declared Donald Tusk on January 9.
Caught in the crossfire – the anger that would have resulted from the exclusion of the Jewish state from the commemoration of the victims of the Shoah and the anger that the invitation of the Israeli leader aroused despite the accusations made against him -, the Polish government tried to play the balancing act. “On the one hand, we have the arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court, and on the other hand it has been obvious, to me from the beginning, that the Israeli Prime Minister, or any other representative of Israel , has the right to visit the Auschwitz concentration camp in complete safety, especially during commemorations,” explained Donald Tusk after announcing his decision. For some observers, Warsaw wanted to send a sign of friendship to Israel and please the United States, the Jewish state’s main ally, once again led by Donald Trump.
This remains a real turnaround for Poland which, when issuing the arrest warrant against Benyamin Netanyahu, had assured to submit to the court decision of the ICC, in particular through the voice of its Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Wladyslaw Teofil Bartoszewski. This about-face provoked the anger of 51.9% of Poles who oppose Donald Tusk’s decision according to an IBRiS survey commissioned by Rzeczpospolita and relayed by EURACTIV.
Present or absent, Netanyahu focuses attention
Despite the invitation and the promise not to be arrested, Benjamin Netanyahu should not be present, nor should Israeli President Isaac Herzog. The Jewish State should, however, be represented by one of its ministers at the ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz: the Minister of Education Yoav Kisch, who is not the subject of an arrest warrant from the ICC. The absence of Benjamin Netanyahu will be noticed, but that of any representative of Israel would have been even more so. Especially since Poland and the Jewish state maintain friendly relations according to Jean-Charles Szurek, emeritus research director at CRNS and specialist in the region interviewed by 20Minutes.
Not going to Poland is the surest way for Benyamin Netanyahu to avoid being arrested due to the ICC arrest warrant, a detail which must have weighed in his decision. But the Israeli Prime Minister can use the situation in the Jewish state to decline the invitation to Auschwitz: Israel, which concluded a truce with Hamas after 15 months of war, is continuing negotiations and preparing for the rest of the conflict.