The crisis between Israel and Poland over the latter's approval of a law that restricts the rights of Holocaust survivors to reclaim property seized during World War II is more than just serious. It could potentially undermine the relationship between the two countries.
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Foreign Minister Yair Lapid's harsh criticism of Poland created a rift. In international diplomatic language, we can say he severed ties with Warsaw.
"Poland has approved an immoral, antisemitic law," he said and instructed Israel's chargé d'affaires in Warsaw to return home immediately.
To make matters worse, Lapid said he was in contact with the United States administration to discuss appropriate responses to the issue.
One cannot help but wonder, would the Poles have gone through with the legislation if Benjamin Netanyahu was still in power? Turns out that the same problem that Israel faces with its enemies along the border also exists with countries that are friendly with the Jewish state but do not see eye to eye on some matters.
In the Lapid-Bennett era, when Israel has demonstratively become subordinate to the United States, some countries seize the opportunity to make moves that are not anti-Israel, per se, but do hurt us. And here, Israel, so zealous when it comes to the Holocaust, feels the need to involve the US.
Israel should never have reached this point of crisis with Poland, but the impression is that Lapid is pushing for it. When the Jewish state was established, it was looking for allies. Poland, along with the Czech Republic and Austria, supported it when the rest of Europe didn't.
Lapid is looking to shake off Israel's independent relations in order to signal the alignment with the democratic US government. Poland is a golden opportunity for that.
Instead of trying to patch things up with Warsaw – which has extensive security and economic interests with Jerusalem – Lapid is only perpetuating the conflict.
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