Israel’s accusation that Poles collaborated with Nazis called ‘racist insult’ by Polish PM

Accusations by Israel’s acting foreign minister that Poles collaborated with the Nazis in the Holocaust are the words of a “radical extremist”, Poland’s prime minister said, as a bitter diplomatic row between the two former allies deepened.

Mateusz Morawiecki was due to join the leaders of Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia – known as the Visegrad group – at a two-day event hosted by Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week.

But the Polish leader pulled out of a summit over Israel’s acting foreign minister Yisrael Katz’s comments which he denounced as “racist insults” and “unbelievable”.

Mr Katz had told a local TV channel in Israel that “‘every Pole suckled antisemitism out of their mother’s breast”, sparking uproar in Warsaw.

His comments were preceded by a statement from Mr Netanyahu who also said that Poles had worked with the Nazis.

“I have no problem with someone mentioning the fact that during the cruel, evil, dehumanising war there were individual criminals in my nation – obviously there were, just as in every other nation,” Mr Morawiecki told left-leaning paper Haaretz on Friday.

“But when you use these stereotypes that ‘every Pole suckled anti-Semitism out of their mother’s breast’ it’s nothing short of racism,” he added.

He described his reaction to Mr Katz’s comments, saying “it seemed totally unbelievable.”

“Such words could be used by a radical extremist, but not by a foreign minister,” he added.

The collapse of the Visegrad summit dealt a stinging blow to Mr Netanyahu who had been hoping to shore up support abroad ahead of elections slated for 9 April.

Mr Netanyahu and his ruling Likud Party had been favourite to win but are now floundering in the polls, with the rightwing leader campaigning for re-election under the shadow of possible indictment on graft charges.

The European summit, which Mr Netanyahu’s government had long touted, was replaced with a series of bilateral meetings and Mr Morawiecki sent his foreign minister in his place.

In a bid to patch up ties, Mr Netanyahu clarified his own statement saying he did not mean the entire nation but rather individual Poles. But Mr Morawiecki said the explanation was “not well received in Poland”.

Instead relations have continued to sour. On Tuesday, Polish deputy foreign minister Szymon Szynkowski vel Sek said that Warsaw was still waiting for Israel’s government to apologise for the “shameful, scandalous and slanderous” statements, which require an “unequivocal and definite” reaction.

A day later, after the request remained unanswered, US ambassador to Warsaw Georgette Mosbacher weighed in urging Mr Katz to apologise to Poland. She said the partnership between the two countries was too important for the wider region to be damaged by “rhetoric”.

During the Haaretz interview, Mr Morawiecki defended Poland, arguing that although antisemitism existed, it was “marginal” in the country. He also pointed to a joint statement he signed with Mr Netanyahu in June that included a section denouncing antisemitism and antipolonism.

He also defended wartime Poland saying collaborating with Germany was never an official position.

“The wartime Underground Polish State persecuted all those who were denouncing Jews, sentenced them to death and executed them,” he said.

“A person helping Jews faced death penalty at the hands of the Germans. It was a brave act to do so. Still, tens of thousands of Poles, perhaps even more, were helping their Jewish brethren,” he added.

A spokesperson for Mr Netanyahu told The Independent declined to comment.