The Polish ambassador will return to Israel, as agreed by the two countries, said the head of Israeli diplomacy in Warsaw on Wednesday March 22 alongside his Polish counterpart, ending an absence of nearly two years.
Poland recalled its ambassador to Israel in 2021 after a similar gesture from Jerusalem outraged by a Polish law limiting claims for property looted during World War II, described by Israel as "anti-Semitic
"
.
I am happy that we have agreed on the return of the Polish ambassador to Israel.
Eli Cohen, Israeli Foreign Minister
"
I came here to restore relations between our two countries (...) I am happy that we have agreed on the return of the Polish ambassador to Israel
", declared Eli Cohen, visiting Warsaw, during a joint press conference with his Polish counterpart Zbigniew Rau.
Polish law imposed a thirty-year statute of limitations on claiming such property, which was usually confiscated by the communist regime after the war.
While rejecting the charges, Warsaw explained that the law should above all prevent fraud.
This Wednesday, the minister did not specify the date of the return of the Polish ambassador, nor his name.
In July 2022, in an easing of relations between the two countries, Israel's new ambassador to Poland, Yacov Livne, was approved and presented his credentials.
During Eli Cohen's visit, the two countries signed an agreement on the resumption of youth trips to the two countries, which were stopped in 2022. Warsaw blamed Israel in particular for the fact that youth visits to Poland concerned almost exclusively places of memory and extermination camps, and that the groups were supervised by armed Israeli guards.
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A “historic” agreement
The Polish side pointed out at the time that young Israelis visiting France and Germany were not supervised by armed guards, and that this practice could give the impression that young people were in more danger in Poland.
On Wednesday, the Polish minister indicated that from now on "
the security of the groups of young people (...) will be the responsibility of the host country
", stressing that Poland was "
a safe country for Israelis, for Jews and for other foreigners
”.
“
The Israeli side shared this opinion
,” he added, stressing that the agreement would help “
reduce mutual stereotypes
.”
Eli Cohen called the deal "
historic
."
"
It's not just about the youth delegations, but rather a dialogue with our history, with pain and hope
," he said.
