Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu missed the ceremony celebrating the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz as he deals with legal matters at home and the threat of arrest abroad.
Netanyahu’s ability to attend the Auschwitz event Monday was complicated due to an outstanding warrant for his arrest issued by the International Criminal Court, which accused him of overseeing war crimes in Israel’s campaign against Hamas.
Without directly addressing the warrant, Netanyahu accused the ICC of “antisemitism” via a post on social media.
“Founded in the shadow of the Holocaust, the ICC has disgraced itself with antisemitic attacks on Israel,” Netanyahu wrote in a Monday statement. “Hamas are the new Nazis, and we are committed to defeating them once and for all. The Jewish state will always stand as a safe haven for Jews worldwide.”
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The ICC issued the warrant in November, accusing the prime minister of crimes against humanity, such as weaponizing starvation in its fight against the terrorist group.
The court does not maintain law enforcement officers of its own. Instead, it relies on its member nations to follow through on its orders. While many nations have expressed hesitancy at the prospect of arresting the sitting prime minister if he were within their jurisdiction, supranational institutions maintain that his arrest is non-negotiable.
“The states that signed the Rome convention are obliged to implement the decision of the court,” said Josep Borrell, the high representative of the European Union for foreign affairs and security policy. “It’s not optional.”
Polish President Andrzej Duda previously assured the Israeli government that Netanyahu would not be at risk of arrest if he attended the Auschwitz memorial.
Presidential aide Malgorzata Paprocka said earlier this month that Duda instructed Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk “to ensure that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is able to participate in the commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, should he express such a wish.”
Netanyahu’s travel abilities are further complicated by his criminal trial at the Tel Aviv District Court — a legal proceeding that has been in the works since 2020.
The prime minister appeared in court Monday, where he called the charges “nonsense” and condemned the trial as a waste of time.
Netanyahu is charged with multiple counts of fraud, bribery, and breach of trust after allegedly offering political favors to media moguls in exchange for positive press coverage and expensive handouts.
Hollywood producer Arnon Milchan testified in 2023 that he regularly gifted the prime minister luxurious items, including cigars, champagne, and designer clothes.
Milchan admitted that the sometimes “excessive” gift-giving turned into a “routine” as Netanyahu asked him for items using code words.
Netanyahu is accused of accepting almost $200,000 worth of gifts from Milchan over the course of their “friendship.”
The prime minister accused prosecutors of bringing him to trial while he is still recuperating from an operation on his prostate late last year, which he said normally requires six weeks to recover.
“In my case, the recovery did not go according to my doctors’ expectations and wishes because I was dragged or swept away against my will […] to deal with a flood of needs related to the release of the hostages and the events in Lebanon and elsewhere,” Netanyahu told the court. “I am in the process of recovering, but I am not recovered yet.”
The ceremony celebrating the 80th anniversary of Auschwitz’s liberation gathered together global heads of state with former inmates of the camp.
Netanyahu’s absence was notable among the slew of world leaders flown to Poland to pay respects on the anniversary, including German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, King Charles III, former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, King Felipe of Spain, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
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Even Russian President Vladimir Putin, who was not invited to the event, took the opportunity to celebrate the Soviets’s role in crushing the “total evil” of Auschwitz.
“We will always remember that it was the Soviet soldier who crushed this terrible, total evil and won the victory, the greatness of which will forever remain in world history,” Putin said Monday.
