Polish Holocaust law turns into political battleground in Israel
While negotiations continue between Israel and Poland over its new Holocaust law, Israeli politicians are cashing in on the outrage.
The Polish decision to criminalize accusations of Polish responsibility for crimes against Jews during the Holocaust has stirred a storm in Israel. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki agreed to open a dialogue between the two countries, but the agreement did little to appease Israelis.
In a Feb. 6 tweet, Yesh Atid head Yair Lapid accused Netanyahu of making a mistake when he announced that he would enter negotiations on the issue with Poland’s prime minister. “We cannot hold negotiations over the memory of the murdered. Netanyahu must now return the ambassador until further notice and re-examine cooperation agreements. The Jewish state was not founded for us to be silent in face of deniers of the murder of the Jews,” Lapid opined.
When Polish President Andrjez Duda signed the controversial “Holocaust law,” he clarified that he expects it to be amended after being examined by the nation’s constitutional court to ensure that it meets the conditions of the Polish constitution and does not hinder freedom of expression.
The Polish president’s statements reflected the process behind the scenes between Israel and Poland, apparently concerning amendments to soften the law to a version Israel could live with.
