A letter from Polish President Andrzej Duda to the country’s Prime Minister has requested that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu be granted “an undisturbed stay” in Poland if he chooses to participate in the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz later this month, which caught Polish officials off guard.
According to the Polish newspaper ‘Wyborcza’, officials at the nation’s foreign affairs ministry were taken aback by Mr. Duda’s letter, which was sent on Wednesday and made public yesterday.
It remains unclear whether Mr. Netanyahu, who is currently facing an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes in Gaza, will attend the commemorative event at the former Nazi-German death camp on January 27 in southern Poland.
Diplomats at the ministry expressed to ‘Wyborcza’ that they anticipated a delegation from Israel led by the country’s education minister, Yoav Kisch, would be present for the anniversary event.
As a member of the ICC, Poland is obligated to adhere to the court’s rulings.
However, a resolution adopted by the Polish government yesterday states:
“Ensuring the safe participation of Israel’s leaders in the celebrations on January 27, 2025, is viewed by the Polish government as part of honoring the Jewish nation, whose millions of children and adults suffered as victims of the Holocaust executed by the Third Reich”.
As reported by Bloomberg, Mr. Duda’s letter characterized the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz as “absolutely exceptional circumstances” and stated that Polish authorities should ensure an “undisturbed stay” for the Israeli prime minister if he decides to attend the event.
“It is clear to me that every representative of the state of Israel should have the right to visit, especially on the anniversary day,” Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk stated to reporters yesterday.
“The Polish government will guarantee free and safe access to the highest representatives of the state of Israel to the commemorations on this day,” he added.
Nevertheless, Mr. Duda’s letter seems to have caught the prime minister’s office by surprise as well.
Mr. Tusk also mentioned to journalists at the Polish parliament yesterday that he plans to request Mr. Duda to “explore other methods” for communicating sensitive matters with the government rather than using the media.
Several Israeli media outlets have reported that Mr. Netanyahu does not plan to travel to Poland for the anniversary.
Israel, which is not a member of the ICC, contests the validity of the court’s arrest warrant against Mr. Netanyahu.
Numerous foreign leaders and diplomatic representatives from around the globe are anticipated to attend the 80th anniversary commemoration, which could potentially be the last significant anniversary event attended by living Holocaust survivors, many of whom are now in their late 80s and 90s.
Approximately 1 million Jewish individuals were murdered at Auschwitz, the Nazi-German death camp situated in German-occupied southern Poland during World War II.
Other victims included Poles, Romas, and various ethnic groups from German-occupied Europe.
Over six million Jews were killed during the Holocaust by the Nazis.
