Warsaw (Quds News Network)- Poland has adopted a resolution promising that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu can travel freely to Poland for the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp later this month, despite the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes in Gaza.
The ICC issued in November arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defence chief, Yoav Gallant, for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
The war crimes include using “starvation as a method of warfare; and the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts.”
“The Polish government treats the safe participation of the leaders of Israel in the commemorations on January 27, 2025, as part of paying tribute to the Jewish nation, millions of whose daughters and sons became victims of the Holocaust carried out by the Third Reich,” read the resolution published by the office of Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
The government published the statement after Polish President Andrzej Duda asked Tusk to ensure that Netanyahu could attend without the risk of being arrested.
There had been reports suggesting that the ICC arrest warrant could prevent Netanyahu from traveling to Poland to attend the anniversary on January 27.
Member countries of the ICC, such as Poland, are required to detain suspects facing a warrant if they set foot on their soil, but the court has no way to enforce that. Israel is not a member of the ICC and disputes its jurisdiction.
The court has more than 120 member states, though some countries, including France, have already said that they would not arrest him. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán even said he would defy the warrant by inviting Netanyahu to Hungary.
It was not even clear if Netanyahu wanted to attend the event. The Polish Foreign Ministry said earlier Thursday that “it has not received any information so far indicating that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is going to attend the celebration of the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.”
“Poland is a safe country and any leader visiting Poland is entitled to protection granted by the Ministry of the Interior,” it added. The ministry also suggested that any idea that Netanyahu could be arrested in Poland is “fake news” that spread in U.S. media.