The criticism from Polish commentators was directed at the mixing of concepts regarding Poland as a state and the German occupation during World War II in the wording. Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski commented on the museum's post, urging clarification that it referred to Poland under Nazi occupation. The representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maciej Wewior, also cited a clarification from the Auschwitz-Birkenau museum, which emphasized that it was Nazi Germany that adopted and enforced this rule.
Shortly after this, Yad Vashem published a correction stating that the decree was issued "by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland." The Polish authorities agreed with the new wording; however, tensions between the countries remain.
Warsaw stated that the original post was misleading and distorts historical truth. "Since this misleading post was not corrected, I decided to summon the Israeli ambassador to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs," Sikorski noted on the X platform.
Disputes over wording related to Holocaust events have long complicated relations between Poland and Israel. The Polish side emphasizes the importance of a clear distinction between the actions of the Nazis and the Polish state, which lost its sovereignty in 1939.
In August, the Polish ambassador to Israel, Maciej Hunia, was summoned for an official démarche following a statement by Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar. This occurred in response to comments made by Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk regarding the hunger and deaths of women and children in the Gaza Strip.
Tusk wrote on the social network X that Poland has always supported Israel but does not approve of the actions of the Israeli government that lead to "hunger and the deaths of mothers and children." In response, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs urged Poland to avoid wording that could "offend the memory of the Holocaust victims."
