By South China Morning Post | Created at 2025-01-09 20:28:26 | Updated at 2025-01-10 04:31:41
8 hours ago
Poland’s prime minister said Benjamin Netanyahu will have safe passage and not face arrest if the Israeli premier travels to the country to attend a commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz this month.
The comments came after Polish President Andrzej Duda urged the head of government to guarantee Netanyahu’s security, referring to the “absolutely exceptional circumstances” of the event, according to a letter seen by Bloomberg News.
The Israeli leader is subject to an arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes in Gaza.
“Anyone who wishes to attend the Auschwitz commemoration, any representative of the state of Israel, will be guaranteed security,” Prime Minister Donald Tusk told reporters in Warsaw on Thursday.
The liberation commemoration is scheduled to take place on January 27 in southern Poland at the site of the Nazi death camp. It was unclear whether Netanyahu has plans to attend – and Tusk signalled that Israel may send a cabinet minister. As of Monday, a spokesperson for the Israeli leader said no invitation had been received.
The Hague-based ICC issued the arrest warrant in November following a request by the body’s chief prosecutor in relation to Israel’s military campaign against Hamas, which is designated a terrorist organisation by the US and the European Union.
