Fearing arrest in Poland, Netanyahu not to attend holocaust event
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Benjamin Netanyahu will reportedly skip the Auschwitz liberation anniversary event.
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A man walks through the former Nazi German death camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau in Oswiecim, Poland, on May 6, 2024, during the annual Holocaust remembrance event. (AP)
Israeli occupation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is allegedly avoiding flying to Poland for next month's celebrations commemorating the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz Nazi concentration camp, fearing imprisonment.
The large ceremony, scheduled for International Holocaust Remembrance Day on January 27, is likely to be attended by hundreds of dignitaries and heads of state, including Britain's King Charles.
According to Polish outlet Rzeczpospolita, Israeli authorities have not contacted their Polish counterparts about attending the event, and officials in Warsaw believe this is due to Poland's stance that it will uphold the ICC's arrest warrant for Netanyahu for possible war crimes in Gaza.
Israeli occupation President Isaac Herzog also has no plans to attend the ceremony as per the report.
Early this month, Israeli media reported that the Israeli occupation's military institution estimates that the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague issuing arrest warrants against Israeli occupation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Security Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip could lead to further international arrest warrants and criminal actions worldwide against Israeli senior officers, regular soldiers, and reservists who engaged in the war.
According to Yedioth Ahronoth, the IOF have recently identified around 30 cases where legal actions, including criminal procedures, have been taken against officers and soldiers involved in the war on Gaza who planned to travel abroad. The military has warned them to avoid traveling, fearing arrest or investigation in the countries they planned to visit.
The Israeli military has also instructed some of its officers and soldiers currently abroad to leave immediately to avoid facing legal action. According to the report, at least eight soldiers are in Cyprus, Slovenia, and the Netherlands.
Settlers don't feel safe after Oct. n7, they're leaving: Israeli media
A report by The Jerusalem Post on Friday touched on the thousands of settlers leaving the occupied land since October 7, 2023, after the Hamas resistance group carried out Operation Al-Aqsa Flood.
According to government statistics and immigration tallies released by destination countries such as Canada and Germany, as cited by The Jerusalem Post, thousands of Israelis have left the occupied land since Oct. 7, 2023.
Statistics show concerns about a potential "brain drain" in sectors like medicine and technology, with migration experts suggesting that the number of people leaving "Israel" could exceed the number of immigrants to the occupied territories in 2024. This observation comes from Sergio DellaPergola, a statistician and professor emeritus at the Hebrew University in occupied al-Quds.
According to The Jerusalem Post, thousands of Israelis have chosen to bear the financial, emotional, and social costs of relocating since October 7 last year. Government statistics and families who spoke to The Associated Press in recent months reveal that many have emigrated to countries like Canada, Spain, and Australia.
The report adds that the Israeli settler population has speedily grown toward 10 million people, but by the end of 2024, the number of settlers leaving surpassed the ones coming in, further explaining that the numbers remain low even amid a potential ceasefire in Gaza and after the ceasefire with Lebanon.
