Poland “suspends” the Holocaust law/lie
martedì 27 febbraio 2018 English 2 commenti
Il Giornale, February 27, 2018It’s a very good thing that Poland took a step backwards against a decision that not only absolved it of guilt, but also made it a liar and gave in to common sentiment, which populism tends to do: wisely the government decided not to implement a law that could lead to a fine and up to three years in prison for anyone who refers to the Nazi extermination camps on its territory during WWII as "Polish death camps" or accuses Polish citizens of being complicit in the extermination of the Jews.
President Andrej Duda signed the bill into law earlier this month after it was passed in the Senate. What then followed was a rhetorical escalation of petty nationalism and on the other of accusations of anti-Semitism. Probably things changed after Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, clearly rigidly playing his role, publicly declared that while there were some “Polish perpetrators”, there were also “Jewish perpetrators” responsible for the Holocaust.
Here the crisis erupted over how incongruous the Polish law was: how could anyone compare what happened to the Jews, the desperate and persecuted victims, to that of the persecutors and their accomplices?
Then Netanyahu wisely, notwithstanding the requests of breaking all the relationships with Poland and calling back the ambassador, spoke at length with the Prime Minister, with the idea, which his shocked critics opposed, that Israel should find a way to talk with Poland. And the road has been found: the Polish Foreign Ministry has announced that it will put the law on hold in order to amend its wording, and a Polish delegation will arrive in Israel on Wednesday to find an acceptable solution together.
Technically, it’s true that the “Nazis” and certainly not the “Poles” undertook the extermination, the Poles with courage fought the Nazis; but it’s also true that the Poles haven’t fully come to terms with their terrible history of anti-Semitism, which was expressed both during the Shoah and after the war.
And yet the Polish law can’t be attributed to new anti-Semitism, since its evident that the law itself highlights its current repulsion with respect to the persecution of the Jews. And it’s very important for the Jewish State to be able to ascertain - especially at a time in which genocidal anti-Semitism by extreme Islam and its supporters threaten Israel and its people - whether those countries that have elected governments that aren’t on the left should be suspected or accused of anti-Semitism. The answer is that among populism and nationalism, anti-Semitism can rise its ugly head, but it's a phenomena that doesn't necessarily involve the State where this happens, and therefore the best choice is not to send everybody, included the institutions, to hell, but to ask them to fight anti-Semitism and show that they really do. Probably this will be requested to the Polish in these days.
Now Israel, although very attentive to any displays of Holocaust negationism, looks like knowing that its enemies are the fascists, the Nazis, but not the moderate governments of Eastern Europe, and this is very important, especially when confronted by a hostile European Union headed by Mogherini, which has taken a pro-Iranian stance. So much so that it’s never once uttered a single word about Iran’s genocidal intentions vis-à-vis the Jews. Isn't this anti-Semitism, real anti-Semitism?
The wave of controversy against Poland therefore seems unwarranted for now. There was a lie, but not anti-Semitism. Israel must monitor the Neo-Nazis in order to ensure that they never again propagate hate, but the Poles don’t seem to belong in the same category and Israel did well to reserve judgment.
Translation by Amy Rosenthal
giovedì 8 marzo 2018 12:01:37
Dear Fiamma we illadvise to israel government and public to adopt your approach to the oaland holocaust controver;The answer is that among populism and nationalism, anti-Semitism can rise its ugly head, but it's a phenomena that doesn't necessarily involve the State where this happens, and therefore the best choice is not to send everybody, included the institutions, to hell, but to ask them to fight anti-Semitism and show that they really do. Probably this will be requested to the Polish in these days. ROBERT PETERSON
ROBERT PETERSON , Israel
lunedì 5 marzo 2018 20:19:41
Dear Fiamma Enemies always knew how to sow bad seeds among good ones in Lord's garden."The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. (25 But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. 26 When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.27 “The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’28 “‘An enemy did this,’ he replied.)As you mentioned ,the Poles also fought bravely within allies' ranks and in thier version of Resistance.We have a right to expect from a full awarenes of the past but also shoud respect thier National pride and the right to raise a proud , optimistic generation free of eternal guilt syndrom The first albeit formal step was madeLeave to God the rest!RP.