Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu does not plan to attend the celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp in Auschwitz, even though Poland has promised not to arrest him on a warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC).
This was reported by the Prime Ministerʼs assistant in a comment to The Times of Israel.
Piotr Cywinski, director of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum, added that discussions about whether Benjamin Netanyahu would face arrest if he came were a “media provocation” — “there was never any indication” that the prime minister was planning a visit to Poland. At the same time, Cywinski clarified that a large Israeli delegation is expected to be present at the event.
Last week, on January 9, the Polish government passed a resolution stating that Warsaw would ensure the free participation of Israeli leaders in the celebration of the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp in Auschwitz.
That would allow Netanyahu, who is under an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court for war crimes in the Gaza Strip, to participate. Poland has ratified the Rome Statute of the ICC, so it is obliged to arrest the Israeli prime minister if he is on its territory.
The anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp is celebrated annually on January 27. The UN General Assembly has declared January 27 as International Holocaust Remembrance Day. On this day, the world remembers the tragedy of millions of Jews, as well as representatives of other nationalities, including Ukrainians, Poles, and Roma, who died in Nazi camps.
- The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in November 2024. They are accused of crimes against humanity and war crimes in the Gaza Strip. De jure, 123 countries are closed to them.
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