Polish president wants ICC indictee Netanyahu to be able to go to Auschwitz anniversary, aide says
Poland’s president asked the government to ensure Benjamin Netanyahu can choose to attend the anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz Nazi death camp without fear of arrest.
WARSAW — Poland’s president asked the government to ensure Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu can choose to attend the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz Nazi death camp without fear of arrest under an ICC warrant, a senior aide said on Thursday.
The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants in November for Netanyahu and his ex-defence minister, as well as a Hamas leader, Ibrahim Al-Masri, for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group.
Israel has condemned the warrants for Netanyahu and former defence chief Yoav Gallant, saying that it has acted in self-defence in its air and ground war in Gaza triggered by Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 cross-border attack on Israel.
On Wednesday, Bloomberg reported that President Andrzej Duda had written Prime Minister Donald Tusk saying Poland should ensure Netanyahu can be “unhindered” in attending the Jan. 27 Auschwitz commemoration given the event’s exceptional nature.
Malgorzata Paprocka, the head of Duda’s office, confirmed to state news agency PAP on Thursday that such a letter had been sent.
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