Polish officials said they will arrest Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu in compliance with a warrant from the International Criminal Court if he attends the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.
“We are obliged to respect the provisions of the International Criminal Court,” Władysław Bartoszewski, Poland’s deputy foreign minister, told Polish newspaper Rzeczpospolita on Friday.
Dozens of world leaders are expected to attend the anniversary event on January 27, which will honor the estimated 1 million Jews who died in the Nazi genocide. Netanyahu is not due to attend the ceremony, according to Rzeczpospolita.
The ICC issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu in November, which Israel appealed last week. Israel argued that the ICC does not have power over Israelis since the country is not bound to the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the international court in 1998. Neither Israel nor the United States are parties to the treaty.
“The State of Israel denies the authority of the International Criminal Court in The Hague and the legitimacy of the arrest warrants,” Netanyahu said in response to his arrest warrant.
U.S. Republican lawmakers also vowed to sanction the ICC and erode its legitimacy on the world stage following Netanyahu’s arrest warrant.
“The ICC has no credibility and these allegations have been refuted by the U.S. government,” said Rep. Michael Waltz (R., Fla.), President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming national security adviser. “Israel has lawfully defended its people & borders from genocidal terrorists. You can expect a strong response to the antisemitic bias of the ICC & UN come January.”
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