Yair Lapid
Yair LapidFlash 90

In an interview with the Polish media on Holocaust Remembrance Day, Blue and White MK Yair Lapid accused the Poles of taking part in the establishment and operation of Nazi extermination camps on Polish soil, claiming that the Poles took an active part in the murder of Jews during the Holocaust.

The interview was published on ONET, a popular Internet site in Poland, and caused a huge uproar in the country, with many reactions and condemnations.

The Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum published a statement condemning Lapid's statement in which it compared his statements to those of Holocaust deniers. "Such a statement by a well-known Israeli politician hurts just as much as a confrontation with a Holocaust denier," the museum wrote. "In both cases, they are conscious lies. The use of the Holocaust as a political tool is to mock its victims."

The interview with Lapid was publicized in many media outlets in Poland and quickly spread, causing a huge outcry. It drew thousands of responses from Polish readers, some of whom expressed harsh anti-Semitic statements.

In the past, Lapid sharply criticized the "Polish law," a law which Poland began implementing over a year ago, banning the phrase "Polish death camps" and outlawing claims of collusion of the Polish nation with the Holocaust. Furthermore, during an interview with the Polish Internet portal ONET, Lapid refused to retract his remarks against the Polish government, claiming that it provided a green light for anti-Semitism in Poland.