Israel and Poland have strong diplomatic ties and Warsaw often stands in solidarity with the Jewish state at the United Nations.
By TOVAH LAZAROFFPoland's Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz speaks during an interview in Warsaw, Poland, 2018(photo credit: KACPER PEMPEL / REUTERS)
Relations between Israel and Poland could be in recovery mode, now that the eastern-European country has backed away from legislation that would have criminalized statements implicating Polish involvement in the extermination of Jews during World War II.KAN News reported on Sunday that Polish Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz could be meeting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the sidelines of the 73rd opening session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York in September.It would be the first high level meeting between an Israeli and Polish officials since the crisis began in February.The event attracts many heads of state and top level ministers, many of whom use the event to have both secret and public meetings.Netanyahu traditionally attends, but has not yet formally announced plans to travel to this year’s event. Media reports, however, have already begun to circulate about with whom he may or may not be meeting.Israel and Poland have strong diplomatic ties and Warsaw often stands in solidarity with the Jewish state at the United Nations.But the ties hit a snag when Poland passed a law that allowed for a jail sentence of up to three years to be imposed on those who spoke of “Polish concentration camps” to describe the Nazi death camps that were located on Polish soil.
