Netanyahu might skip Auschwitz event, according to reports
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has decided against visiting Poland to mark the Holocaust. Read Full Article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly does not plan to attend the event in Poland marking the 80th anniversary of the Auschwitz death camp's liberation by the Red Army, according to Israeli media on Monday.
The speculation around Netanyahu's potential attendance at the ceremony scheduled for January 27 has sparked controversy due to a standing warrant for his arrest issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) last year. As a signatory to the Rome Statute, Poland is required to enforce warrants from the Hague-based court. Nevertheless, last week, Polish officials extended safety guarantees to all invited attendees, including Netanyahu.
In light of the controversy, the event organizers have chosen to avoid political speeches during the commemoration, opting instead to focus on the surviving witnesses, most of whom are now in their eighties or older.
“I will not allow this commemoration at the Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum to become a platform for political, diplomatic or legal debates,” director Piotr Cywinski told the Polish news outlet Onet on Monday. He further emphasized to The Guardian that “there will be no political speeches at all.”
This event will mark a historic moment at the Holocaust museum, as world leaders will not be given a platform during the anniversary for the first time. Cywinski has dismissed the concerns surrounding Netanyahu's potential arrest, labeling them as a “media provocation” and noting that the prime minister’s attendance was never officially confirmed. According to reports, Israeli Education Minister Yoav Kisch is expected to represent Israel at the ceremony.
Last November, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu, former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and leaders of Hamas, accusing the two Israeli officials of war crimes, including deliberately causing starvation in Gaza.
The recent surge in violence in the Middle East was incited by a deadly Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, leading to tens of thousands of deaths, primarily in Gaza, where Israel has imposed a blockade in response.
During World War II, Nazi Germany is estimated to have murdered around 1.1 million people at the Auschwitz camp, most of whom were Jews. Soviet forces liberated the camp and its survivors in early 1945.
For the third consecutive year, Russia, as the successor state to the USSR, will not attend the commemoration at Auschwitz. Poland has opted to distance itself from Moscow, citing its involvement in the conflict in Ukraine, where it supports Kiev.
Anna Muller contributed to this report for TROIB News
The speculation around Netanyahu's potential attendance at the ceremony scheduled for January 27 has sparked controversy due to a standing warrant for his arrest issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) last year. As a signatory to the Rome Statute, Poland is required to enforce warrants from the Hague-based court. Nevertheless, last week, Polish officials extended safety guarantees to all invited attendees, including Netanyahu.
In light of the controversy, the event organizers have chosen to avoid political speeches during the commemoration, opting instead to focus on the surviving witnesses, most of whom are now in their eighties or older.
“I will not allow this commemoration at the Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum to become a platform for political, diplomatic or legal debates,” director Piotr Cywinski told the Polish news outlet Onet on Monday. He further emphasized to The Guardian that “there will be no political speeches at all.”
This event will mark a historic moment at the Holocaust museum, as world leaders will not be given a platform during the anniversary for the first time. Cywinski has dismissed the concerns surrounding Netanyahu's potential arrest, labeling them as a “media provocation” and noting that the prime minister’s attendance was never officially confirmed. According to reports, Israeli Education Minister Yoav Kisch is expected to represent Israel at the ceremony.
Last November, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu, former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and leaders of Hamas, accusing the two Israeli officials of war crimes, including deliberately causing starvation in Gaza.
The recent surge in violence in the Middle East was incited by a deadly Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, leading to tens of thousands of deaths, primarily in Gaza, where Israel has imposed a blockade in response.
During World War II, Nazi Germany is estimated to have murdered around 1.1 million people at the Auschwitz camp, most of whom were Jews. Soviet forces liberated the camp and its survivors in early 1945.
For the third consecutive year, Russia, as the successor state to the USSR, will not attend the commemoration at Auschwitz. Poland has opted to distance itself from Moscow, citing its involvement in the conflict in Ukraine, where it supports Kiev.
Anna Muller contributed to this report for TROIB News
