Poland has threatened to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he attends a commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp on January 27.
The threat comes after a global court at the Hague issued a series of warrants against Netanyahu and other Israeli officials over the war in Gaza. The International Criminal Court (ICC) has been roundly pilloried by many global leaders for targeting Netanyahu and others.
Poland’s Deputy Foreign Minister Władysław Bartoszewski said the country is “obliged to respect the provisions of the International Criminal Court.”
The Polish newspaper added that Mr. Netanayhu has not to date applied to participate in the ceremony. Dozens of heads of state or government are expected to come to the event, including some of Europe’s most notable kings and presidents. An Israeli source tells the Sun that no decision has been made yet on whether President Herzog, who is the official head of state, would attend.
Why then, would a high-ranking Warsaw official rush to announce Poland’s intention to arrest the prime minister of the Jewish state, even before he asked to visit the country? “We hope that Vladimir Putin will finally stand before the ICC. That is why we must comply with the Tribunal’s rulings,” an unidentified official told Rzeczpospolita.
Netanyahu has indicated he will not attend the event to avoid being arrested. The ICC alleges that Israel, under the prime minister’s leadership, has committed war crimes in its war against Hamas in Gaza.
The war started when Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, murdering over 1,000 civilians and kidnapping hundreds of hostages. In response, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have invaded the Gaza Strip to eliminate the terrorist threat while rescuing those being held as hostages.
The ICC claims that Israeli allegedly prevented Palestinian civilians from accessing important resources like food, water, and medical supplies. The court has also issued a warrant for Hamas military commander Mohammed Deif for crimes against humanity, including murder, torture, and rape against Israeli civilians.
President Joe Biden by calling the warrants “disgraceful.”
Netanyahu has called the ICC’s arrest warrant an “antisemitic decision” and said, “Israel utterly rejects the false and absurd charges of the ICC, a biased and discriminatory political body.”
President Joe Biden has expressed support for Israel and called the warrants “disgraceful.” The U.S. is a strong ally of Israel and neither country is a member of the ICC.
How sad it has come to this!
— Arsen Ostrovsky 🎗️ (@Ostrov_A) December 20, 2024
PM @netanyahu will not attend Auschwitz liberation 80th anniversary event, because Poland insists it would arrest leader of Jewish state over ICC warrants.
Perhaps Poland has not fully learnt lessons of the Holocaust, or their own responsibility … pic.twitter.com/wcDVurfPVS
The ICC has issued arrest warrants for multiple high-profile politicians, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, who was accused of war crimes, specifically in relation to the unlawful detention of Ukrainian children in Russia in the ongoing war. Putin visited ICC member state Mongolia this year for a meeting with the country’s leader. He was not arrested or detained.
The ICC’s 124 member states are obligated to arrest Netanyahu and others if they enter their territories. However, since the court does not have arrest powers, it is up to these countries to decide whether they will enforce the warrant.
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