A new controversy has erupted in Poland after a series of provocative actions targeting Israeli leadership, intensifying tensions just days after a lawmaker displayed an Israeli flag marked with a swastika inside parliament.
Tomasz Grabarczyk, a member of the far-right “New Hope” party and a former candidate for the European Parliament, ignited outrage with a social media post timed to coincide with Israel’s 78th Independence Day. The post featured an altered image of Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, portraying him with Adolf Hitler’s distinctive moustache, along with a caption drawing a direct comparison between the two.
“Today, a state begins to celebrate its independence, which was built on the tragedy of millions of innocent people,” the post read. It went on to accuse Israel of decades of “murder, oppression, persecution and expulsion,” adding: “Israel is a criminal state. Netanyahu is to be considered a modern Hitler until they answer for their crimes.”
The incident is part of a wider uptick in inflammatory rhetoric circulating online in Poland in recent days, much of it aimed at Israel and its government. At the same time, Polish MP Konrad Berkowicz—who previously drew condemnation after waving a defaced Israeli flag bearing a swastika—has continued to accuse Israel of “genocide.” He has also directed criticism toward the U.S. ambassador to Poland and the Israeli embassy in Warsaw, both of which strongly denounced his actions.
The controversy has extended into diplomatic exchanges as well. Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski recently criticized Israeli military conduct following the circulation of footage showing an IDF soldier damaging a statue of Yoshkah in southern Lebanon, asserting that Israeli troops had “admitted to committing war crimes” and even killing captives.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar responded forcefully, rejecting Sikorski’s remarks and pointing instead to the earlier incident in Poland’s parliament. “Your words show ignorance. Instead of preaching morality to others, it would have been better if you had condemned the antisemitic act we saw in the parliament.”
{Matzav.com}