Polish PM cancels trip to Israel over Netanyahu’s remark

WARSAW (Sputnik): Poland’s foreign minister is expected to attend a Visegrad gathering of four central and Eastern European states in Jerusalem instead of the country’s head of state after reports that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared to blame the Polish nation of collaborating with the Nazis in the Holocaust.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he has cancelled a visit to Israel, where the Visegrad summit is to start on Monday.

The two heads of state spoke over the telephone, spokeswoman for the Polish government Joanna Kopcinska told journalists. Polish Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz will attend the gathering of four Central and Eastern European nations in Jerusalem instead.

The news comes in the wake of reports about comments on Polish complicity with the Nazis during World War II that Netanyahu allegedly made. Commenting on the story, the Israeli Prime Minister’s office issued a statement saying that The Jerusalem Post had misquoted him.The outlet later published a correction.

In another statement, the Israeli prime minister also clarified that his remarks on the matter, which remains a sensitive issue in Poland, had not cast any blanket blame. Nevertheless, Poland summoned Israeli Ambassador Anna Azari over the reported remarks.