Poland’s president has asked the Polish government to ensure Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is not at risk of arrest should he attend the 80th anniversary of Auschwitz’s liberation, Bloomberg reported on Thursday morning.
President Andrzej Duda penned a letter to Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk emphasizing the need for Netanyahu’s visit to go smoothly due to the “exceptional” nature of the event.
Following the report, the Polish Foreign Ministry responded that it had no information regarding Netanyahu's participation in the celebrations of the 80th Auschwitz liberation anniversary.
"Poland is a safe country, and every leader coming to Poland is entitled to protection granted by the Interior and Administration Ministry," Spokesperson of the Polish Foreign Ministry Paweł Wroński said.
Furthermore, when asked whether a response to Poland's president was planned, Wroński added that the Foreign Ministry could "not really comment" because the letter was addressed to the prime minister.
However, Wroński added that "the fact that someone in the world has started to invent quotes" that Poland intends to arrest Netanyahu if he comes to the celebrations is not true.
"This is fake news, as we have already said many times," Wroński stated.
Netanyahu is at the heart of many arguments of whether or not to enforce the International Criminal Court (ICC)’s warrant for his arrest. Poland, an ICC signatory, would be required to follow protocol and arrest Netanyahu should he enter their country.
Would the ICC warrant for Netanyahu's arrest be enforced?
Leadership from Poland has previously stated that should Netanyahu enter the country, they would enforce the warrant. This posed a challenge in terms of the 80th-anniversary event in honor of the liberation of Auschwitz.
President Duda’s request puts the country between a rock and a hard place. However, Duda has expressed confidence that a solution could be found to balance legal obligations with the event’s significance.
Potwierdzam, że Prezydent skierował do Premiera pismo w sprawie zapewnienia możliwości udziału w obchodach 80. rocznicy wyzwolenia obozu Auschwitz Premierowi Izraela Benjaminowi Netanjahu, gdyby ten wyraził taką wolę. Zdaniem Prezydenta każda osoba z Izraela, każdy… https://t.co/GHECXihXfN
— Kancelaria Prezydenta (@prezydentpl) January 9, 2025
Multiple other countries and their respective leaders, including Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, have noted that they are either ignoring the warrant, or that they fully plan to enforce it. Orbán has already invited Netanyahu to Budapest despite the ICC warrant.