Israeli leaders angrily criticised pending legislation in Poland that would outlaw blaming Poles for the crimes of the Holocaust, with some accusing the Polish government of outright denial after the world marked International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the proposed law “baseless” and ordered his country’s ambassador to Poland to meet with Polish leaders to express his strong opposition.
“One cannot change history, and the Holocaust cannot be denied,” Mr Netanyahu said.
The lower house of the Polish parliament on Friday passed the bill, which prescribes prison time for using phrases such as “Polish death camps” to refer to the killing sites Nazi Germany operated in occupied Poland.
Many Poles fear such phrasing makes some people incorrectly conclude that Poles had a role in running the camps.
But critics say the legislation could have a chilling effect on debating history, harming freedom of expression and opening a window to Holocaust denial.
The bill still needs approval from Poland’s Senate and President. However, it marks a dramatic step by the country’s nationalist government to target anyone who tries to undermine its official stance that Poles were heroes only during the war, not Nazi collaborators who committed heinous crimes.
Read the full article at The Australian.