Polish President Urges Against Arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu at Auschwitz Liberation Event

Polish President Urges Against Arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu at Auschwitz Liberation Event

Polish President Andrzej Duda has called on his government to ensure that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would not face arrest if he attends a commemoration marking the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz later this month, according to a statement from his office on Thursday.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu in November, citing alleged war crimes committed during the Gaza conflict. The decision has drawn sharp criticism from Israel and its allies.

As a member state of the ICC, Poland is theoretically obligated to detain Netanyahu if he enters the country. However, Duda has expressed his firm belief that Israeli officials should be able to participate in the event. “Every person from Israel, every official from that country, should be able to take part in this unique event,” Duda’s aide Malgorzata Paprocka wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

Duda reportedly sent a letter to Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, urging him to ensure Netanyahu’s attendance at the January 27 ceremony if the Israeli leader wishes to participate. Tusk has yet to publicly respond.

The ICC’s arrest warrants extend beyond Netanyahu to include Israel’s former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Hamas military leader Mohammed Deif. The court alleges Netanyahu and Gallant bear “criminal responsibility” for war crimes, including the use of starvation as a method of warfare, as well as crimes against humanity.

The Auschwitz-Birkenau ceremony will see international delegations gather to mark 80 years since the Red Army liberated the Nazi death camp. The Auschwitz Museum, speaking to AFP, noted that it is up to individual countries to decide their representatives for the event.

Constructed by Nazi Germany during its occupation of Poland in World War II, Auschwitz-Birkenau has come to symbolize the Holocaust, where over six million European Jews were murdered. Approximately one million of those victims perished at Auschwitz, alongside more than 100,000 non-Jews.