Row between Poland and Israel
A law passed in Warsaw according to which administrative decisions may only be appealed within 30 years is putting a strain on Polish-Israeli relations. Israel has criticises the legislation on the grounds that this prevents families of Holocaust victims from reclaiming property confiscated during the Nazi regime. Polish commentators defend the government's decision.
Israel is behaving unfairly
The daily newspaper Rzeczpospolita criticises the Israeli government's response:
“It is clear that the Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid's reaction is exaggerated and is aimed at pursuing domestic political goals. Furthermore, it is unfair. The claim that the amendment to the Administrative Court Code is an anti-Semitic and immoral law is disgraceful. During and after the Second World War, Polish citizens of various origins, estate and factory owners, Jews, Germans and Ukrainians lost their property. It is immoral and relativises history when Lapid only sees the assets of the victims of the Holocaust and not those of other groups whose assets fell victim to National Socialism and Communism.”
Warsaw must not let itself be bullied
There should be a consensus in Poland that foreign states should not interfere in matters of legislation, the online portal wPolityce.pl states:
“The Polish government must not bow to pressure under any circumstances. ... Our independence is being put to the test here. No one from outside the country has the right to interfere with our legislation. If the opposition doesn't like something, they should win democratic elections and change the legislation to their liking. But now, as the Polish opposition, it should react as politicians in reunified Germany did to the pressure from the US to join it in the military intervention in the Persian Gulf when they said that German policy is decided in Berlin, not Washington.”