One people only are responsible for the Holocaust – the Germans. There is an entire continent full of anti-Semitic history, and that is Europe. There are countries that were partners with Nazi Germany, like Italy. There are others whose governments cooperated with the Nazis, like Vichy France. There were powers that signed conciliatory agreements with Hitler (Britain) and other nations that signed deals to cooperate with Nazi Germany and stuck to them up to the day they were attacked (the Soviet Union). There were nations that admired the Nazis and where the Nazis had widespread support, such as the Netherlands. What makes Poland unique is that the Nazi occupiers carried out most of their atrocities there. Jews from all over Europe were sent to the terrible death industry in the extermination camps in Poland.
The Jewish people has a long, bloody account with Europe, but Israel still strives for friendly relations with the people of Europe as well as peace with the Arabs, who are still trying to destroy us. The leader of the Palestinians during the Holocaust was a noted Nazi collaborator and a fervent supporter of the Holocaust, and their current leader is a certified Holocaust denier whose "doctorate" – which academically isn't worth the paper it's written on – is a work of Holocaust denial. Israel's peace treaty with Egypt was signed with the late President Anwar Sadat, who in his youth was an open admirer of the Nazis.
Israel has a vested interest in maintaining good relations with Poland. When Poland passed a law that could have threatened those who research and teach the Holocaust, Israel was obligated to speak up and intervene. Israel did, and achieved its goal – the Polish law was changed, and its teeth – criminal sanctions against anyone accusing Poland or the Polish people of Nazi crimes – were removed.
The wording of the joint statement issued by the leaders of Israel and Poland on the alterations to the law isn't perfect and contains some problematic statements. Maybe Israel should have insisted on better, more accurate wording, and perhaps it could still be changed. But its essence – a Polish condemnation of the crimes of the Holocaust, condemnation of Polish collaboration with the Nazis, and praise for the heroism of the Polish Righteous Among the Nations [gentiles who risked their lives to save Jews] – don't Israel and the Jewish people have an interest in that being the Polish government's message to its own people?
What is incorrect in the sentence "It's obvious that the Holocaust was an unprecedented crime perpetrated by Nazi Germany against the Jewish nation"? What is unacceptable in the statement about the Polish government-in-exile's opposition to the Nazi occupation and its crimes? The document expresses pride in the "heroic acts of numerous Poles, especially the Righteous Among the Nations, who risked their lives to save Jewish people." That's the truth, and their pride is justified. Thousands of Poles saved Jews, knowing that if they were caught, they and their families would surely die. My main problem with the document is its condemnation of "every single case of cruelty against Jews perpetrated by Poles during World War II." The sheer number of Poles responsible for such acts should be noted.
The document includes Israel's agreement with the statements that are so important to the Poles – "the term 'Polish concentration/death camps' is blatantly erroneous and diminishes the responsibility of Germany for establishing those camps" and "we reject the actions aimed at blaming Poland or the Polish nation as a whole for the atrocities committed by the Nazis and their collaborators." Israel is simply agreeing with a historical fact.
