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Netanyahu won’t attend 80th anniversary of Auschwitz liberation due to potential ICC arrest

In his stead, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar will attend the ceremony on January 27th.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly said he will not attend the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz because Polish authorities may detain him in compliance with the ICC arrest warrant, according to the Polish newspaper Rzeczpospolita.

In his stead, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar will attend the ceremony on January 27th.

Shortly after the ICC arrest warrant was issued, the Polish Deputy Foreign Minister said, “We are committed to respecting the decisions of the International Criminal Court in The Hague.”

Israel has appealed the ICC arrest warrants against Netanyahu and former Foreign Minister Yoav Gallant, arguing that prosecutor Karim Khan had insufficient evidence and committed errors during his investigation and that the ICC has no jurisdiction over Israel.

Canada was one of the first countries to say it would comply with the ICC warrant and arrest Netanyahu and Gallant.

“First of all, as Canada has always said, it’s really important that everyone abide by international law. This is something we’ve been calling on from the beginning of the conflict,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters in the Toronto area.

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Trudeau pointed out that Canada was one of the founding members of the ICC, and added, “We stand up for international law, and we will abide by all the regulations and rulings of the international courts.”

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell denied that the arrest warrants were politically motivated and that the court decision should be respected.

Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp told parliament: “The Netherlands obviously respects the independence of the ICC,” adding: “We won’t engage in non-essential contacts and we will act on the arrest warrants.”

Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg called the warrant “incomprehensible and ludicrous” but added Austria would have to arrest the Israeli ministers according to the Rome Statute.