Poland summoned the Israeli ambassador on Monday in response to a post by Holocaust memorial institution Yad Vashem, according to Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski.

Sikorski announced the move on the social media platform X, objecting to a recent statement by Yad Vashem regarding the origins of Nazi-imposed identification measures against Jews during World War II.

Yad Vashem had posted that Poland was the first country where Jews were forced to wear a distinctive badge to isolate them from the surrounding population.

The post prompted backlash in Warsaw, where officials criticized the lack of historical context.

Read more: Europe faces shortage as Polish TNT flows to US for Israeli bombs

Foreign Minister Sikorski emphasized that the post should have made it clear that Poland was under German occupation at the time.

Poland's Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Maciej Wewior, posted a reply, quoting in full the corrective statement by Poland’s Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum, stating, “If anyone should know the historical facts, it is Yad Vashem. They should be fully aware that Poland was occupied by Germany at the time, and it was Germany that introduced and enforced this antisemitic law.”

Both Poland and "Israel" have been in a soft conflict over Holocaust language for nearly ten years, with Warsaw maintaining a distinction between Nazi occupation and Polish state agency as essential.

The 2018 crisis over the so-called “Holocaust law,” which sought to criminalize suggestions of Polish complicity in Nazi crimes, still casts a shadow. While the current government is more liberal, the issue remains highly sensitive.

Europe faces shortage as Polish TNT flows to US for Israeli bombs

On another note, Polish MP Maciej Konieczny had raised concerns in parliament over Poland's TNT exports, arguing that vital explosive materials needed for European defense are being diverted to support US military exports, particularly bombs used by "Israel" in Gaza.

Konieczny, a representative of the leftist Razem party, criticized the Polish arms company Nitro-Chem for prioritizing foreign contracts over national and European security. Speaking in the Sejm, Poland's lower house of parliament, he warned that Poland’s ability to defend itself or supply Ukraine with artillery could be jeopardized due to dwindling reserves of TNT.

"Polish TNT is exported entirely abroad, and the bombs produced from it fall on the heads of innocent civilians in Gaza and Yemen," Konieczny told The Guardian.

He further questioned whether US interests were being placed above Poland’s security, asking for clarification on whether such prioritization was influenced by American pressure.

Exports prioritized over domestic needs

According to The Guardian, Nitro-Chem has committed a substantial portion of its production capacity to the US under a series of long-term contracts. The explosive material is used in the manufacturing of heavy munitions, including 2,000-pound MK-84 and 550-pound BLU-109 bombs, types reportedly used by "Israel" in its genocidal war on Gaza. The US, which currently lacks domestic TNT production, depends heavily on Polish imports. It is estimated that up to 90% of TNT imported into the US originates from Poland.

Nitro-Chem's annual output of TNT ranges between 10,000 and 12,000 tonnes, with approximately half of it destined for the US until at least 2029. A recent $310 million deal signed in April 2025 with the US-based Paramount Enterprises will see another 18,000 tonnes shipped between 2027 and 2029.

Human rights groups condemn Polish exports

Beyond indirect exports through the US, Nitro-Chem has reportedly sold TNT directly to Israeli military contractors.

Palestinian advocacy groups, including the Palestinian Youth Movement and People’s Embargo for Palestine, released a joint report accusing Poland of enabling the genocide in Gaza. The report stated that the scale of destruction in the Gaza Strip would not have been possible without Polish-made TNT.

Between October 2023 and July 2024, the US is said to have transferred at least 14,000 MK-84 and 8,700 MK-82 bombs to "Israel". Although former US President Joe Biden paused shipments of larger bombs in May 2024, these restrictions were lifted after Donald Trump assumed office.