Poland freezes controversial new Holocaust law

Due to pressure from Israel, Poland is delaying implementation of the controversial new law prohibiting mention of Polish involvement in the Holocaust.

By: World Israel News Staff

A Polish delegation will arrive in Israel this week to try and reach a compromise on Poland’s controversial new Holocaust law.

Earlier this month, the Polish Senate approved a bill that prohibits any references to Polish involvement in the Holocaust. The bill prohibits describing Nazi death camps in Poland as Polish, and sets fines or a maximum three-year jail term as punishment.

Israelis across the political spectrum condemned the bill. Netanyahu rejected the bill as “baseless,” while Israeli President Reuven Rivlin slammed it as an attempt at “fake history.”

Relations between the two countries have deteriorated since the bill’s passing. Israel also canceled plans to send National Service volunteers on a trip to Poland before Passover in reaction to Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki’s statement last week that there were “Jewish perpetrators” of the Holocaust, which exacerbated the rift.

“The Polish Prime Minister’s remarks here in Munich are outrageous. There is a problem here of an inability to understand history and a lack of sensitivity to the tragedy of our people,” Netanyahu stated at the time.

As a result of weeks of pressure from Israel and Jewish organizations in the Diaspora, the law will not be implemented for the time being, Polish Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro said on Saturday.

Israeli Foreign Ministry Director-General Yuval Rotem hailed the news as “an achievement” for Israel.