Netanyahu Won’t Face Arrest If He Visits Poland, Tusk Says
(Bloomberg) -- 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.
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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 Thursday.
The liberation commemoration is scheduled to take place on Jan. 27 in southern Poland at the site of the Nazi death camp. It was unclear whether Netanyahu has plans to attend — and Tusk signaled that Israel may send a cabinet minister.
Netanyahu’s office and the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
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 organization by the US and the European Union.
Hamas killed some 1,200 Israelis and took about 250 hostage when it invaded Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Israel’s military response has killed over 45,500 Palestinians, the Hamas-run health ministry says, though it doesn’t differentiate between civilians and militants.
The arrest warrant has raised difficult legal issues. As a signatory to the treaty establishing the ICC, Poland is obliged to respect the body’s rulings and hold accountable those who commit international crimes.
Duda, who has frequently been at odds with Tusk’s administration, said in the letter that he believes the government will be able to “devise an adequate formula” to provide guarantees for Netanyahu that reconcile respect for international law with the significance of the Auschwitz liberation.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said in November that he planned to invite Netanyahu to Budapest, disregarding the ICC arrest warrant.
--With assistance from Dan Williams.
(Updates with a reaction from Netanyahu’s office in sixth paragraph)
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