Poland’s service to the Zionists; Warsaw’s slur against the International Criminal Court.
On November 21, 2024, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Minister of War Yoav Gallant of the Zionist regime. During this time, many countries announced that they would execute the arrest warrant of the Court if the Zionist officials arrived; in the meantime, Poland recently announced that it would not execute the Court’s warrant and had no plans to arrest Netanyahu.
Poland’s support for the Zionist regime after October 7
Poland has been one of the most important supporters of the Zionist regime among European countries after October 7, 2023. Relations between the two sides have been ongoing since September 1948. During this period, Poland has been one of the economic, technological, cultural, and foreign policy partners of the occupying regime. Tel Aviv’s direct investment in Poland is estimated at 3 to 5 billion euros. In 2017, former President of the Zionist regime, Reuven Rivlin, called the regime’s contact with the European Union and Poland the core of Tel Aviv’s foreign policy. Poland’s approach to supporting the occupying regime after October 7 is important in two ways:
1. In their meetings with the Zionists, Polish officials have emphasized statements such as “cooperation with Tel Aviv in the fight against terrorism” and “the thousand-year-old historical and cultural ties between the two sides.” In an interview with the Israeli newspaper The Times, Poland’s special envoy in Tel Aviv said at the same time as the October 7 operation: “The entire democratic world must support Israel in its fight against terrorists.” He also rejected accusations of genocide by the occupying regime in Gaza and said: “I am certain that the Israeli army is not planning an operation that will kill innocent people.”
2. For more than a year, Poland has been working to promote its position in support of Tel Aviv in the European Union. In the Union, this country has always emphasized the right of the Zionist regime to do everything to preserve its existence and ensure the security of its citizens at home and abroad.
Poland’s approach to the ICC ruling
After the arrest warrant was issued for the Zionist officials, the leading Polish newspaper Rzeczpospolita reported that Netanyahu did not plan to attend the ceremony to commemorate the liberation of the German-Nazi camp Auschwitz, which will be held in Poland on January 27, due to fear of arrest. However, Polish President Andrzej Duda recently sent a letter to Prime Minister Donald Tusk asking for guarantees that Netanyahu will not be arrested under the ICC’s order for traveling to Poland to attend the ceremony. The letter was first reported by Bloomberg. The Polish president cited the tradition of legal protection of foreign missions as a pretext for Netanyahu’s entry.
Duda said: “I am confident that the government can use the rich tradition of legal protection of foreign missions entering Poland to find an appropriate formula for the above-mentioned guarantees and to reconcile respect for international law with the extraordinary nature of international law.”
Although some officials, such as the Polish Deputy Foreign Minister, have emphasized the country’s duty to respect the ICC’s ruling, this approach seems to be mostly due to the Polish president’s relations with US President-elect Donald Trump, as Duda, a conservative, has close ties to Donald Trump. At the same time, Tusk is a more liberal figure who has also criticized Trump.
Disregard for Human Rights
Before the establishment of the International Criminal Court, which, regardless of the immunity and status of the accused, steps towards trying those who have committed the most heinous international crimes, few could have imagined that justice could be served to high-ranking officials in a world based on sovereignty, establishing the International Criminal Court has opened up another path to protecting human rights and preventing their violations worldwide. The court has jurisdiction to hear crimes such as crimes against humanity, war crimes, and genocide. In this context, Poland’s approach to ignoring the ICC ruling seems to reinforce the suspicion that human rights and international law are merely tools serving the interests of the United States, European governments, and their allies.
Conflict with the binding nature of the ICC’s rulings
On the other hand, Poland’s approach conflicts with the binding nature of the ICC’s rulings. This is although the Court’s decisions are binding on all countries. Based on voluntary law, the Court’s rulings are binding on the contracting parties, in the form of the Court’s Statute and the United Nations Charter.
Palestine has accepted the jurisdiction of the ICC since June 12, 2014. In this regard, Palestine’s accession to this document will allow the prosecution and trial of perpetrators of crimes under the Court’s jurisdiction in Palestinian territory. In the current war that has been going on in Gaza since 2023, the Court’s jurisdiction over the actions of the Zionist regime is more consistent with the principles and objectives of the Court’s establishment, and in this regard, the Court, after a long period of consideration, has ordered the arrest of two senior officials of the occupying regime for committing war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. In these circumstances, Poland, along with other members of the Court, is also obliged to arrest the couple if they enter its territory.
Conclusion
Poland’s support for the Zionist regime has increased after October 7, 2023. The latest supportive action by Poland is the announcement of the non-implementation of the International Criminal Court’s ruling on the arrest of Netanyahu. Ignoring this ruling can be seen as a sign of Warsaw’s disregard for human rights and the decisions of the International Criminal Court under pretenses.