Israeli President Isaac Herzog will also skip the event, according to Polish media [Getty]
Poland will enforce the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) warrants for Israeli leaders and arrest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he enters the country to attend a major event marking the liberation of Auschwitz next month, the country’s deputy foreign minister said on Friday.
The court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant in November on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Poland is a signatory to the Rome Statute and would be required under international law to turn Netanyahu and Gallant over to The Hague should they enter the country.
Sources told Polish newspaper Rzeczpospolita that Netanyahu will avoid travelling to the event for fear of being arrested, and that the Israeli government has not contacted Polish authorities to discuss the subject.
“We are obliged to respect the decisions of the ICC,” said Deputy Foreign Minister Wladyslaw Bartoszewski when asked to comment by the outlet.
Polish diplomatic sources elaborated on the government’s decision. “We hope that Vladimir Putin will finally appear before the ICC. That is why we must comply with the court’s decisions,” they said, on condition of anonymity.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog will also reportedly skip the event, which according to Israeli media will make Education Minister Yoav Kisch the only Israeli government official in attendance.
The memorial will take place on 27 January and will mark the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp, a major event that will be attended by Western leaders, including Britain’s King Charles, French president Emmanuel Macron and German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
Israel was represented at the 75th anniversary by the then-president Reuven Rivlin.
Poland is among a small number of Western countries that have confirmed they will enforce the arrest warrants and uphold international law.  Others have either rejected the ICC’s decision or have been ambiguous about how they would act.
The court has accused Netanyahu and Gallant of multiple counts of international law violations, including deliberately starving Gaza’s population, exterminating civilians and persecution. The court’s investigations are ongoing and further warrants for Israeli and Hamas leaders are expected to be issued in the coming months.
Israel is also fighting charges of genocide at the International Court of Justice.
Israel has killed 45,317 Palestinians and wounded 107,713 others in its 14-month war on Gaza, according to the latest figures. Its military onslaught has destroyed most of the enclave’s infrastructure and plunged the population into a deep humanitarian crisis.
