The Polish president’s decision to sign a bill that would restrict the ability of Jews to recover property seized by the Nazi German occupiers and retained by the post-war communist rulers has aroused anger from all sides. Israel, Which means that the law is anti-Semitism.
“I made a decision on the bill today. In recent months, the bill has aroused heated and heated debates at home and abroad.” Anjay Duda Said in a statement issued on Saturday. “After in-depth analysis, I decided to sign the amendment.”
Before the Second World War Poland It used to be one of the largest Jewish communities in the world, but it was almost completely wiped out by the Nazis, and former Jewish property owners and their descendants have been fighting for compensation.
So far, Jewish nationals or their descendants can claim that their property has been illegally seized and demand their return, but Polish officials believe this has led to uncertainty about property ownership.
In 2015, the Polish Constitutional Court ruled that there should be a specific deadline after which administrative decisions on property ownership can no longer be challenged. Earlier this week, the Polish Parliament passed changes to the law. The bill sets a 30-year period for compensation claims.
The issue of Jewish property rights in Poland is more complicated because, unlike other EU countries, it has not established a fund to compensate people whose property has been seized.
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett condemned the law and said that Israel will not stand idly by. “This is a shameful decision, a shameful contempt for the memory of the Holocaust,” he said in a statement.
Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said: “Poland today approved an anti-Semitist and immoral law for the first time.” He added that in response, the head of the Israeli embassy in Warsaw Was recalled immediately.
Rapide said: “Poland has become an anti-democratic and non-free country tonight, disrespecting the greatest tragedy in human history.”
He said that no new ambassador will be sent to Warsaw at this stage. He also advised the Polish ambassador to Israel to extend his vacation and not to return to his country.
“He should use his time to explain to the Poles what the Holocaust means to Israeli citizens and the extent to which we will not tolerate the memory of the dead and the contempt for the memory of the Holocaust. It will not stop here, “Rapid said.
He added that Israel is discussing further steps with the United States.
US Secretary of State Anthony Brinken said on Thursday that Washington is deeply concerned about the passage of the bill by the Polish parliament and urged Duda not to sign it into law.
Washington is one of Warsaw’s most important allies, but the relationship between the two countries has become tense due to property issues and other issues, such as the opposition’s plan to implement reforms. Shut up U.S. news channels criticizing the government.
The World Jewish Return Organization (WJRO) on Saturday urged the Polish government to work hard to resolve the issue of property confiscated in the past.
“Democracy and justice reached new lows in Poland because President Duda signed a law that made it almost impossible for all former Polish property owners to obtain compensation for illegally seized property during the communist era,” WJRO Operations Chairman Gideon Taylor told Reuters society.
