Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki have reportedly agreed to hold talks to try to resolve the uproar over a controversial Polish bill that would outlaw blaming Poland for crimes committed during the Holocaust.
The legislation, passed by the Polish parliament's lower house on Friday, makes using phrases such as "Polish death camps" punishable by up to three years in prison. To become law, the bill must also be approved by the Senate and by Polish President Andrzej Duda.
The Polish government says the bill will not limit freedom to research or discuss the Holocaust or freedom of artistic activity on the issue.
But the legislation drew harsh criticism from Israeli politicians and Holocaust survivors, who criticized what they called Poland's attempt to "change history."
Netanyahu and Morawiecki spoke by telephone late on Sunday and "agreed to open immediate dialogue between teams from both countries to try to reach understandings on the legislation," according to a statement from the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem.
Duda also issued a statement Sunday, saying the controversial bill "seeks to prevent the distortion of the truth and false accusations against Poland and the Polish people. ... The legislation process has yet to be completed."
He said the Polish parliament's decision to vote on the bill one day before International Holocaust Remembrance Day was "regrettable," as it fostered "emotional reactions" rather than "a discussion about the facts."
At Israel's request, Duda's top policy adviser was to meet with Israeli Ambassador to Poland Anna Azari on Monday to discuss the legislation.
Israel's Foreign Ministry summoned Polish Deputy Ambassador Piotr Kozlowski for a meeting on Sunday to express Israeli opposition to the bill.
Kozlowski said the intention of the legislation is not to "distort" history and it is already a crime in Poland to deny that the Holocaust happened.
"It [the bill] means to safeguard it, to safeguard the truth about the Holocaust and to prevent its distortion," he said.
Polish officials insisted they would not give in to Israel's demands.
"We will not change any provisions in the bill. We have had enough of Poland and Poles being blamed for German crimes," said Beata Mazurek, spokeswoman for the ruling conservative-nationalist Law and Justice party.
Mark Weitzman, director of government affairs for the Simon Wiesenthal Center, a U.S.-based group that battles anti-Semitism, called the law "an obscene whitewashing" of history.
He said its wording could be used against Holocaust survivors talking about their personal experiences, as well as researchers, teachers or anyone else documenting the Holocaust.
He urged Poland to "immediately terminate this law and put an end to all attempts to distort the history of the Holocaust for political purposes."
