Tensions between Poland and Israel have escalated because the Polish president denounced the Israeli ambassador’s remark as “outrageous,” prompting Warsaw to summon him for a gathering.
The incident concerned the demise of a 35-year-old Polish assist employee, certainly one of seven killed whereas delivering meals in Gaza.
Israel has known as it a “mistake” as a result of misidentification, however Poland is shocked, with the ambassador accusing the “extreme right and left in Poland” of falsely accusing Israel of intentional homicide.
He mentioned on social media Tuesday that “anti-Semites will all the time stay anti-Semites, and Israel will stay a democratic Jewish state that fights for its proper to exist. Also for the great of the whole Western world.”
Polish President Andrzej Duda on Thursday known as the remark “outrageous” and described the ambassador as “the most important drawback for the state of Israel in relations with Poland.”
Duda mentioned authorities in Israel have spoken in regards to the tragedy “in a very subdued way,” however added, “Unfortunately, their ambassador to Poland shouldn’t be in a position to keep such delicacy and sensitivity, which is unacceptable.”
Prime Minister Donald Tusk, whereas a political opponent of Duda’s, voiced an identical place.
He mentioned Thursday that the remark had offended Poles and that the ambassador ought to apologize.
The deputy international minister was quoted within the Polish media as saying that Livne was summoned to a gathering on Friday morning.
A day earlier, Tusk printed a touch upon social media addressing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Livne saying: “The overwhelming majority of Poles confirmed full solidarity with Israel after the Hamas assault. Today you might be placing this solidarity to a extremely onerous take a look at. The tragic assault on volunteers and your response arouse comprehensible anger.”
Duda on Thursday additionally known as for Israel to pay “appropriate compensation” to the household of the help employee, Damian Sobol.
Sobol had been on an assist mission to Gaza for the previous six months following work in Ukraine, Morocco and Türkiye.
Polish and Israeli relations have not too long ago been on the mend after a number of troublesome years.
Ties had been badly broken as a result of disputes over easy methods to bear in mind Polish conduct in the course of the Holocaust when Nazi Germany occupied Poland and carried out the mass homicide of Jews.
For eight years till December, Poland had a nationalist authorities that performed down Polish participation within the German killings of Jews and targeted largely on Polish assist to Jews. Israel’s authorities believed that method amounted to historic distortion.
Israel additionally objected to a legislation that restricted property restitution claims, one thing that affected the heirs of Polish Holocaust victims, and recalled its ambassador in 2021 earlier than sending Livne the subsequent 12 months as ties improved.
Duda mentioned that “we agreed to have this representative finally be in Poland in order to facilitate Israel’s relations with Poland,” but that the ambassador now “is making these relations tougher.”
Source: www.dailysabah.com