Poland confirms Netanyahu will be arrested if he attends Auschwitz memorial in January

Poland’s Deputy Foreign Minister Wladyslaw Bartoszewski confirmed on Friday that the country will arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he attends the 80th anniversary memorial of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp on January 27. This is due to an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC), accusing him of alleged war crimes in the Gaza Strip.

"We are obliged to respect the decisions of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague," Bartoszewski told the prominent Polish paper Rzeczpospolita. As a member of the ICC, Poland is formally obliged to respect the international court’s legal decisions.

Israeli Education Minister Yoav Kisch will reportedly be the only official representative of the Jewish state at the Auschwitz memorial. Approximately one million Jewish men, women and children were murdered by the Nazis in Auschwitz.

In late November, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and the former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant who are both formally accused of “war crimes, starvation, crimes against humanity” without providing any credible evidence.

Israeli leaders have firmly rejected the ICC’s decision and accused it of ideological bias against the Jewish state.

“The absurd decision of the International Criminal Court, made in bad faith, turned universal justice into a universal joke. It ridiculed the sacrifice of all those who fought for justice – from the Allied victory over the Nazis until today,” Israeli President Isaac Herzog stated.

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid, a vocal critic of Netanyahu, also strongly condemned the ICC by stressing that Israel is defending itself against genocidal enemies.

“I condemn the decision of the court in The Hague, Israel defends its life against terrorist organizations that attacked, murdered and raped our citizens, these arrest warrants are a reward for terrorism,” Lapid wrote on 𝕏.

The United States has also condemned and rejected the ICC’s decision against Netanyahu.

Poland is one of 27 European Union member states that are legally required under the Rome Statue to comply with decisions made by the ICC. However, the court’s decision has divided the European nations. In addition to Poland, Belgium, Spain, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Lithuania have all confirmed that they will arrest Netanyahu regardless of diplomatic immunity.

In contrast, France announced in November that Netanyahu has diplomatic immunity from ICC arrests.

"Such immunities apply to Prime Minister Netanyahu and the other ministers concerned and must be taken into account should the ICC request their arrest and surrender," French President Emmanuel Macron said.

Germany is another major European nation that stressed due to its Nazi past, it has a duty to protect the Jewish state’s right to exist and defend itself.

“At the same time, it is a consequence of German history that we share unique relations and great responsibility with Israel. We will carefully examine the domestic steps. Any further action would only be taken when a visit [to Germany] by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant is foreseeable,” German government spokesman, Steffen Hebestreit announced.

“I find it hard to imagine that arrests could be carried out in Germany on this basis,” he added.