Poland’s President Andrzej Duda has urged the government not to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he attends the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, despite an ICC arrest warrant.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued warrants in November against Netanyahu, his former defense minister, and Hamas leader Ibrahim Al-Masri for alleged war crimes during the 15-month Gaza war. As a member state of the ICC, Poland is obligated to detain individuals facing such warrants if they enter its territory.
However, Andrzej Duda, representing the opposition Law and Justice Party (PiS), has written to Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s administration, asking for a special exemption for Netanyahu.
“In the opinion of the president, there is one issue – precisely because it is the Auschwitz camp, every person from Israel, every representative of the authorities of this country should have the opportunity to take part in this exceptional event,” said Malgorzata Paprocka, head of Duda’s office, in a statement to Polish state news agency PAP. She added that Duda awaits a response from the government. Tusk has not yet commented publicly on the request.
Some ICC member states, including France and Hungary, have already declared they would not arrest Netanyahu. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán explicitly stated he would defy the warrant and invite Netanyahu to Budapest. Israel, not an ICC member, disputes the court’s jurisdiction.
It remains unclear whether Netanyahu plans to attend the Auschwitz commemoration on January 27. He has participated in previous anniversaries at the site.
The Polish Foreign Ministry has indicated it has not received confirmation of Netanyahu’s attendance. In a statement, the ministry assured, “Poland is a safe country, and any leader visiting Poland is entitled to protection granted by the Ministry of the Interior.”
