We can live with parts of the Polish-Israeli declaration



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Professor Dina Porat, the chief historian of the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial Museum, said Sunday that "we can definitely live" with the first part of the controversial joint statement
published by the Israeli and Polish governments, which partially erased Polish complicity for the atrocities of the Holocaust.

The joint statement angered many politicians as well as Yad Vashem. The Holocaust Research Institute said Thursday that "the attempt to glorify the help given to the Jews and to present it as a widespread phenomenon is not only a violation of the historical truth, but also of the memory of the heroism of the righteous among the nations. "

Education Minister Naftali Bennet joined the chorus of critics, calling the joint statement "shameful of lies that offend the memory of those who perished"

  Dina Porat (Photo: Oren Agmon)

Prof. Dina Porat (Photo: Oren Agmon)

This statement is the result of negotiations between Israel and Poland to resolve a diplomatic crisis that erupted over Poland. law,
who criminalized suggesting that Poland was complicit in Nazi crimes.

The Israeli team that conducted the talks with Poland said following the public outcry that "the chief historian of Yad Vashem, Prof. Dina Porat, has accompanied the process since its inception , and the historical statements contained in The Joint Statement clearly states that the right to conduct research freely is upheld and that no law will prevent it and will prevent it in the future. "

Speaking in front of Israeli Public Radio (IPBC) on Sunday evening, Professor Porat said: "I was asked to give personal and discreet advice, I did not act as that the chief historian and no one has promised me that every word that I have corrected would actually be corrected. "

She also rejected the reports and claims that she wanted to personally win the statement, pointing out "We have not received any money, I do not want to be an ambbadador to Poland".

Prof. Porat made it clear that she did not speak to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu before or after the controversy caused by the joint statement.

  Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki talks about the law in the Polish Parliament (Photo: Reuters)

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki talks about the law in the Polish Parliament (Photo: Reuters) [19659008]

She insisted that "the first part of the document, at least until Article 4, where we started to point to problems, is fine, we can certainly live with."

make corrections, there are things to correct, to add, there is no doubt, but not in the climate that was created, that's why I did not not yet answered, it was impossible to say anything in the indignation that was created. Teacher. Porat continued to say.

The Poles, she explained, "certainly do not want their crimes to be at the center of their self-perception or the center of their identity, they want a different identity."

She said that the Poles protested to the Israeli team that the Germans were forgiven for their crimes under the Reparations Agreement. "It is what is at the base of their expression" anti-Polonism ", the feeling that the Germans have been forgotten and forgiven, and we go there and do not denigrate them as we do for the Poles", said Professor Porat.

Part of the statement that particularly attracted attention was a phrase that said "the sad fact is that some people – regardless of their origin, religion or worldview – have revealed their side the darker at this time. "

"This sentence is very bad and it is not very well formulated," said Professor Porat. "What's" regardless of their background "has to do with something – they were Polish and they were Catholic."

  Prof. Yehuda Bauer (Photo: David Salem)

Prof. Yehuda Bauer (Photo: David Salem)

Prof. Yehuda Bauer, one of the best Holocaust scholars in Israel, described the joint statement as "treason," which Professor Porat claimed was too extreme.

"I would like to invite him to change this term Yudaleh, moderate this term because it is incendiary, the term" betrayal "is so loaded, so extreme, would it have been better without the statement Maybe, "she says.

Prof. Porat also stated that she had considered resigning as Yad Vashem's chief historian as a result of the controversy.

"I talked to the president, Avner Shalev, and the general manager, Dorit Novak, and they did not accept that – and I did not either." I do not think it's there are sins, because of which I need to resign, "she said.

 Prime Minister Netanyahu (Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg)

Prime Minister Netanyahu (Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg)

Prime Minister Netanyahu commented on the indignation
"The objective of the talks with the Polish government was to annul the criminal articles in Polish law, to throw a veil of fear on research and free speech about the Holocaust," explained the Prime Minister. minister at the conference. weekly meeting of the Cabinet. "This goal has been achieved, and I thank the team of Joseph Ciechanover and Jacob Nagel for successfully removing the criminal articles from the Polish law."

He added that "the statement that was issued as a result of the amendment of the law was overseen by an experienced historian, but that several comments were made after its publication." The historians, including on several things that were not included in the statement, I respect that and I will express it. "

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