Polish official quashes talk of Netanyahu attending Auschwitz commemoration

Poland has made it clear that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will not be attending the 80th anniversary commemoration of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, a Nazi concentration camp, by Soviet troops.

Deputy Prime Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski addressed the matter during an interview on Polish TV, per Caliber.Az.

“Mr. Prime Minister Netanyahu will not be coming to Poland. Full stop,” Gawkowski declared, shutting down any speculation about the visit.

When questioned about a report by Bloomberg, which claimed that Polish President Andrzej Duda had sought security guarantees for Netanyahu in case of such a trip, Gawkowski responded firmly, “There is no such issue in Poland. I am not aware of any such letters. And if you ask me if the topic exists — there is no topic, because Mr. Netanyahu is not coming to Europe.”

This comes after the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on November 21, 2024ç accusing them of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Palestinian territories, particularly in Gaza, between October 8, 2023, and May 20, 2024. In light of the warrants, the Polish Foreign Ministry emphasized that Warsaw would honour the ICC ruling if Netanyahu ever set foot in the country.

The anniversary, marking the Soviet liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau on January 27, 1945, is a sombre occasion to reflect on the horror of the Holocaust, with over 1.1 million victims — Jews, Poles, Roma, and Soviet POWs — losing their lives there between 1941 and 1945.

Meanwhile, Polish authorities have chosen not to invite representatives from the Russian Federation to the commemoration. İsrael’s delegation may instead be led by one of the country's ministers, signalling a shift in diplomatic dynamics as the 80th-anniversary approaches.

By Tamilla Hasanova