The lower house of the Polish parliament has approved a bill against Holocaust survivors seeking compensation for the theft of their property by the Nazis.
Under the bill, pending property claims, which have not been settled in the past 30 years, will be discontinued or struck down. In addition, it will not be possible to make new claims about decisions made more than 30 years ago. The proposal will be submitted to the upper house of parliament, before the law is finally approved.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid has been harshly critical of the bill, saying that "no law will change history. Polish law is a disgrace and will severely damage relations between our two countries. Millions of Jews have been murdered in Poland. Their people know what they really need to do."
Joint List chairman Ayman Odeh attacked the new law as a "terrible and antisemitic injustice."
"The Holocaust is one of the most serious crimes in human history. We must fight every attempt to deny it, for the memory of the victims and survivors and for the sanctity of the life of all mankind."