A letter by Polish President Andrzej Duda to the country's Prime Minister requesting that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu be given "an undisturbed stay" in Poland, if he were to attend the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz later this month, came as a surprise to Polish officials.
Polish newspaper 'Wyborcza' has reported that Polish officials at the country’s ministry of foreign affairs were surprised by Mr Duda’s letter, sent on Wednesday and disclosed to media yesterday.
It is not yet known if Mr Netanyahu, who is sought by the International Criminal Court on an arrest warrant for alleged war crimes in Gaza, will attend the commemorative event at the former Nazi-German death camp on 27 January in southern Poland.
Polish diplomats at the ministry told 'Wyborcza' that they had been expecting an Israeli delegation headed by Israel’s education minister Yoav Kisch to attend the anniversary event.
In response to Mr Duda's request, Poland’s government yesterday adopted a special resolution confirming that it will "ensure free and safe participation" for high-ranking Israeli officials who attend the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.
Poland is a member of the ICC and would be obliged to implement the court’s decision.
However, yesterday’s resolution adopted by the Polish government reads:
"Ensuring the safe participation of Israel's leaders in the celebrations on January 27, 2025, is treated by the Polish government as part of paying tribute to the Jewish nation, whose millions of daughters and sons became victims of the Holocaust carried out by the Third Reich".
According to Bloomberg, Mr Duda’s letter described the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz as "absolutely exceptional circumstances" and said Polish authorities should guarantee the Israeli prime minister "an undisturbed stay" if he were to attend the event.
"It is obvious to me that every representative of the state of Israel should have the right to visit, especially on the anniversary day," Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk told reporters yesterday.
"The Polish government will ensure free and safe access to the highest representatives of the state of Israel to the commemorations on this day," he said.
However, Mr Duda's letter also appears to have taken the prime minister's office by surprise.
Mr Tusk also told journalists at the Polish parliament yesterday that he intends to ask Mr Duda to "find other methods" rather than through the media to communicate sensitive issues with the government.
A number of Israeli media outlets have reported that Mr Netanyahu did not intend to travel to Poland for the anniversary.
Israel, which is not a member of the ICC, disputes the court’s arrest warrant for Mr Netanyahu.
Foreign leaders and diplomatic officials from around the world are expected to attend the 80th anniversary commemoration, which could be the last big anniversary event attended by living survivors of the Holocaust, many of whom are now in their late 80s and 90s.
About 1 million Jewish people were killed at Auschwitz, the Nazi-German death camp, located in German-occupied southern Poland during World War II.
Other victims included Poles, Romas and other ethnic groups from German-occupied Europe.
More than six million Jews were murdered during the Holocaust by the Nazis.
