Israel criticises Poland over holocaust laws

[caervek]

So, it's now 2018 and Poland (one of if not THE biggest victim of the Nazi Holocaust) is being criticized by Israel (a country that had nothing to do with the Holocaust) for introducing laws to stop books/etc referring to the Nazi death camps in Poland as Polish death camps because they're worried it may give the impression that Poland was a perpetrator not the victim. Apparently according to Netanyahu this is Holocaust denial lol.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-42848842

"I strongly oppose it. One cannot change history and the Holocaust cannot be denied," he said in a statement.

The bill, which is an amendment to an existing Polish law, would also make it illegal to describe Nazi death camps in Poland as Polish.

[Self Inflicted Wounds]

I really get where they are coming from here. "Polish death camps" doesn't sound great. 'Nazi death camps, in Poland" sounds better.

[Svad1287]

Yeah, its abit hollow listening to bibi, when the death toll on the polish side, during WW2 was 3 million, and the jewish death toll, in the camps, was 1 mill.

And I agree with Lemon, it does sound "better" to call them 'Nazi death camps, in Poland".

[Osmeric]

Every time I see a new story like this I'm happy the US has the First Amendment.

[Deleted]

Let's go one step further and call those camps for what they actually were: _GERMAN_ death camps, not 'Nazi'.

[TwistedSkull]

I find it a bit ironic that Israel moans over that, when they treat the palistinians like crap.

[derpkitteh]

I really get where they are coming from here. "Polish death camps" doesn't sound great. 'Nazi death camps, in Poland" sounds better.

i agree with this.

calling them polish death camps is rather misleading.

netanyahu probably only heard that poland's stopping books from referring to death camps and everything else went out the other ear unheeded.

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I find it a bit ironic that Israel moans over that, when they treat the palistinians like crap.

found your cultural identity on lies and warmongering and maybe you don't deserve to be treated all that well.

[Deleted]

As far as I've heard there's an exception in that law that allows discussing it for scientific purposes and in 'art'. No idea what they are complaining about really.

[Deleted]

This is a such a short article and yet nobody seemed to have read it...
I will qoute some of the most important parts.




"Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has criticised a draft Polish bill to make it illegal to accuse Poles of complicity in the Nazi Holocaust."

Israeli officials are opposed to the proposed law, suggesting it will limit discussion of Polish involvement in the Holocaust.

"This is a shameful disregard of the truth," said Israel's Education and Diaspora Affairs Minister Naftali Bennett.
"It is a historic fact that many Poles aided in the murder of Jews, handed them in, abused them, and even killed Jews during and after the Holocaust."

But he acknowledged that phrases such as "Polish camps" were misrepresentative.
"It is also a historic fact that the Germans initiated, planned, and built the work and death camps in Poland. That is the truth, and no law will rewrite it. These facts must be taught to the next generation."

The Yad Vashem Holocaust Remembrance Centre in Israel said: "There is no doubt that the term 'Polish death camps' is a historical misrepresentation. Yad Vashem will continue to support research aimed at exposing the complex truth regarding the attitude of the Polish population towards the Jews during the Holocaust."





You guys understand? This is not about Israelis insisting on calling the Concentration Camps 'Polish death camps' they even agree that such term is not accurate, what they are opposed to is the Polish Government trying to make it illegal to acknowledge that the were Polish collaborators that helped the Germans to execute the Holocaust in Poland.

[Self Inflicted Wounds]

You guys understand? This is not about Israelis insisting on calling the Concentration Camps 'Polish death camps' they even agree that such term is not accurate, what they are opposed to is the Polish Government trying to make it illegal to acknowledge that the were Polish collaborators that helped the Germans to execute the Holocaust in Poland.

Does the law actually do that? It sounds like they just want the name changed, soooo

[Deleted]

Does the law actually do that? It sounds like they just want the name changed, soooo

The OP didn't link the proposed bill itself and I can't find it either, but while searching I stumbled upon some articles that talk in more detail about what this controversy is all about. They all draw the same conclusion that the term 'Polish Death Camps' is not the issue, it's the fact the bill on top of banning the term 'Polish Death Camp' also tries to diminish if not flat out deny any collaborations of Poles regarding the atrocities committed against Jews in Poland.

An Israeli politician worded it like this: “I strongly condemn the new law that was passed in Poland, which attempts to deny the involvement of many Polish citizens in the Holocaust”
“No Polish law will change history, Poland was complicit in the Holocaust. Hundreds of thousands of Jews were murdered on its soil without them having met any German officer.”

Here are some links.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018...-camps-polish/

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-i...-idUSKBN1FH0S3

https://www.timesofisrael.com/decryi...epresentation/

[Sunseeker]

Does the law actually do that? It sounds like they just want the name changed, soooo

It's the very first line in the article, in bold text even.

[Deleted]

Israel uses this to distract from their internal problems, like they often do.

[Theodarzna]

I really get where they are coming from here. "Polish death camps" doesn't sound great. 'Nazi death camps, in Poland" sounds better.

Sounds weird that Israel would be so critical considering it seems like a clarification for accuracy.

[Super Kami Dende]

I completely support Poland on this front. I've actually heard people in recent years refer to Poland as a Nazi Ally. They find out Auschwitz is in Poland and assume Polish people created the Camp instead of being the ones within it.

Too many idiots these days that scream about Nazi's without actually reading any history.

[Nerovar]

Lol. It took 5 posts for someone to bring Palestine into this. I'm sure this thread is going places...

[Easo]

Both countries have a point, but both are doing this the wrong way. That is how this looks from side, in my opinion.

[owbu]

This is not about anyone thinking that the the term "polish death camp" is historically acurate (Israel, Germany and Poland all agree that they are death camps build and controlled by germans), this is about Israel being worried that Poland is teaching their kids a streamlined, whitewashed version of the Holocaust (we had nothing to do with it, we loved the Jews, then the evil germans came and did bad stuff. But we heroic polish people then rose up against them and saved the Jews).
And that this law is not only targeted towards people trying to deny german responsibility, but also to silence anyone who goes against the super poland narrative driven by the nationalistic party.

Its sort of funny, though, when you have people like Netanjahu - famous for his fake outrage strategies, whenever someone questions his "palastinians evil, therefore Israel good" world view - talk about the importance of nuances and perspectives.

[KaPe]

I completely support Poland on this front. I've actually heard people in recent years refer to Poland as a Nazi Ally. They find out Auschwitz is in Poland and assume Polish people created the Camp instead of being the ones within it.

Too many idiots these days that scream about Nazi's without actually reading any history.

It's not about "Polish death camps" - that has been a thing for years and usually results in (insert news source) apologizing for their mistake. No one would have any issue if it was merely that.

Instead, it's about silencing any voices that try to talk about Poland having actual anti-semites back in WW2 - up to and including collaborating with Nazis. It's always been a thorny issue, since it doesn't fit well with the usual patriotic narrative. ("Jedwabne"/Gross caused quite a controversy). But with these new laws? Well, in theory, it's legal for research purposes, but anyone is going to think twice if it's worth the risk. Conveniently silence many people without really "silencing" them.

[Jastall]

I don't usually like Israel trying to use the Holocaust for its own ends, but in this case they have a point. The bill doesn't just insist that the concentration camps shouldn't be called death camps, it also states that the role of Polish collaborators (who very much existed) should be downplayed, which is a disservice to history. And I'm not comfortable with any government making such laws in the first place anyway.