Poland is formally obliged to respect the ICC’s legal decisions, as a member state.
Israeli Prime Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will not attend events in Poland next month marking the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz Nazi concentration camp, fearing possible arrest, according to reports.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, last month accusing them of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Israel’s ongoing genocidal assault on Gaza.
“We are obliged to respect the decisions of the ICC”
Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Wladyslaw Bartoszewski confirmed that if Israeli PM Netanyahu enters Poland, he will be arrested following the country’s obligations to the International Criminal Court. pic.twitter.com/2Plfd6AWez
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) December 23, 2024
“We are obliged to respect the decisions of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague,” Poland’s Deputy Foreign Minister Wladyslaw Bartoszewski told the prominent Polish paper Rzeczpospolita.
As a member state, Poland is formally obliged to respect the ICC’s legal decisions.
No Request
The paper said that according to its understanding, the Israeli authorities “did not even ask” for Netanyahu’s participation in the ceremony.
According to the Times of Israel, Education Minister Yoav Kisch was expected to represent the government at the event on January 27 which will be attended by numerous heads of state and government as well as Holocaust survivors. Former Israeli President Reuven Rivlin attended the 75th anniversary commemoration.
‘Obligation’ – ICC Urges Member States to Comply over Arrest Warrants
Israel has submitted an appeal against the arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant, Israeli Army Radio reported without providing more details.
Gallant visited the US earlier this month, where he was scheduled to hold talks with US security officials.
Ongoing Genocide
Meanwhile, the Israeli genocide in the Gaza Strip continued with the death toll among starved and besieged Palestinian civilians rising daily.
Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7, 2023.
Earlier today, Israeli occupation forces committed a massacre when an airstrike targeted a Civil Defense Center in the Daraj neighborhood, east of Gaza City, killing four civilians, including Civil Defense member Najib Sukkar and his son, and injuring several others. pic.twitter.com/VeFaM1iG79
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) December 24, 2024
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 45,338 Palestinians have been killed, and 107,764 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7, 2023.
Moreover, at least 11,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.
Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. However, Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire’.
Millions Displaced
Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.
A displaced Palestinian family was forced to seek refuge on the ruins of a destroyed school due to an Israeli airstrike that targeted it in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, during the ongoing genocide in the enclave
As the winter season begins and the lack of essential supplies… pic.twitter.com/3v6pRQGTim
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) December 25, 2024
The Israeli war has resulted in an acute famine resulting in the death of many Palestinians, mostly children.
The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern region.
(The Palestine Chronicle)
