Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, during a dedication ceremony of a memorial for Righteous Among the Nations Diplomats, reiterated Israel’s aspiration to achieve a true and lasting peace with its neighbors. Nevertheless, Netanyahu emphasized that the Jewish State will remain conscious about the dangers from actors that seek the annulation of the Jewish people, and the foundation of moral humanity. The Israeli leader asserted that the reason for the conscious perception of reality derives from lessons of the holocaust, that sought to extermination the Jewish people, a reality that forces Jerusalem to believe its enemies when they call for Israel’s destruction. Prime Minister Netanyahu also took the opportunity to re-emphasize the importance to study the truth of the holocaust, a terrible history that must be remembered and learned from. He said, “The truth about the holocaust must always be studied. It must always be remembered. Israel works closely with our partners around the world, to defend and reveal the truth about the holocaust. We expect to do it with every country, including Poland,” the Israeli leader stressed.
The comments Netanyahu directed at Poland came amid a growing crisis between the two countries – over Poland’s legislation that seeks to outlaw its involvement in the heinous crimes committed by the Nazis on Polish soil. In a latest development, Poland announced it has canceled a scheduled trip of Israel’s Education Minister Naftali Bennett – that after the Israeli Minister accused the Polish people of complicity in the murder of Polish Jews during the Holocaust, accusing the Polish government of attempting to rewrite its dark-pages history. This prompted the Polish government to cancel his visit, with government spokeswoman Joanna Kopcińska clarifying last night that in the wake of Bennett’s remarks, “there will be no such visit in Poland.” Bennett’s office responded to the Polish decision by saying the Israeli minister was “honored” by the cancelation. Bennett’s statement further added that “The blood of Polish Jews cries from the ground, and no law will silence it.”