As the diplomatic crisis between Israel and Poland over a new Polish law that would restrict restitution of stolen Jewish property deepens, Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Paweł Jabłoński on Monday said that the country would reexamine the Holocaust education trips organized for Israeli high school students, which he alleged spread hatred of Poland.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter
"Educational trips from Israel to Poland do not take place in a proper manner [and are conducted] in a way that hatred of Poland sometimes seeps into the minds of young people. We will examine the issue in depth because it is clear that the way these tours take place is not the right way," Jabłoński said.
He accused Israel of fostering "anti-Polonism," or prejudice against Poles as an ethnic group and the state of Poland and its culture, according to Polish media.
On Saturday, Polish President Andrzej Duda signed into the bill into law despite strong opposition from Israel and the United States.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken issued a press statement on Monday reiterating US "concerns about amendments to the Code of Administrative Procedure, which President Duda signed on Aug. 14, severely restricting restitution and compensation for property wrongfully confiscated during Poland's communist era."
Blinken said, "We deeply regret the adoption of these amendments. Further, we urge the Polish government to consult with representatives of affected parties and to develop a clear, efficient, and effective legal procedure to resolve confiscated property claims and provide some measure of justice for victims. In the absence of such a procedure, this legislation will harm all Polish citizens whose property was unjustly taken, including that of Polish Jews who were victims of the Holocaust.
Blinken said that the US strongly encouraged Duda to act on the values of freedom of expression, sanctity of contract, and mutual values and warned that the new property restitution law could "severely affect media freedom and the foreign investment climate."
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett called the signing of the law "a shameful decision and disgraceful contempt for the memory of the Holocaust" and said "Poland has chosen to continue harming those who have lost everything."
Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said that he had instructed Israel's charges d'affaires in Warsaw to return home immediately and the new Israeli ambassador to Poland to stay in Israel. The Israeli Foreign Ministry also said that it was recommending the Polish ambassador to Israel, who is on vacation, to not return to Israel.
Part of this article was first published by i24NEWS
Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!
