As world leaders, Holocaust survivors and others visit Poland on January 27 to mark 80 years since the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration and extermination camp, one prominent name will be missing from the official ceremony: that of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The prime minister did not plan to take part in the ceremony in the first place, according to Israeli media, but that did not prevent some observers from thinking that he would refrain from setting foot on Polish soil for legal reasons, based on reports in Poland.

This resulted in the Polish government announcing that it would allow Netanyahu — and, indeed, any other Israeli official — to visit the country for the anniversary without being arrested, triggering protests against the decision.

Israel has its own Memorial Day

In the past several weeks, Poland has been debating whether Netanyahu should be allowed to visit the country given the arrest warrant issued against him by the International Criminal Court (ICC) over alleged war crimes committed in the context of Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza.

International Holocaust Memorial Day does not play a big role in Israeli life. The country has its own remembrance day, set for the Hebrew date of 27 Nissan, which this year falls on April 23.

On that day, the country stands still for two minutes as sirens blare; memorial movies and reports are shown on TV and schools across Israel hold ceremonies commemorating the 6 million Jews murdered by Nazi Germany and its abetters.

Every year, the Israeli Holocaust Memorial Day carries a different theme. This year's focus will be on the 80th anniversary of the Auschwitz liberation, just like the international version.

The local Holocaust Memorial Day is considered one of the most solemn days on the Israeli calendar.

Other problems more pressing for Israelis

The Israelis' scant interest in International Holocaust Memorial Day has dwindled further still this year as the country continues to deal with a bloody war in Gaza — though a newly signed ceasefire agreement has provided some hope that the 94 hostages still in Gaza will be returned.

The Hamas-led terrorist attack on October 7, 2023, in which nearly 1,200 Israelis were killed and roughly 250 were kidnapped, is still fresh in Israel's collective memory, with the establishment of an independent inquiry to look into the failures that allowed the attack to take place being resisted by Netanyahu's government due to its mistrust of the judiciary.

The 15-month war that has followed the Hamas attack is front of mind for Israelis. The number of Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza as well as in the country's military operation in southern Lebanon is the highest since the Yom Kippur war of 1973, which is considered to be the Israeli security authorities' biggest failure prior to the October 7 attacks.

The Israeli authorities themselves are worried about pro-Palestine demonstrations that could interfere with the ceremonies commemorating the liberation of Auschwitz around the world.

The headlines in Poland, as well as the debate that followed, were widely reported in Israel, mostly in terms of what such a situation could mean for future diplomatic visits elsewhere.

The Israeli outlet Ynet, the most read news website in the country, reported that Poland's decision is important in the context of future visits of Israeli officials in other countries, calling it "very significant" for the Israeli government.

Poland not alone in defying ICC arrest warrant

According to Ynet, Poland's decision "proves that there are moral and historical considerations" justifying the violation of international arrest warrants.

"There's no doubt that the open and brave precedent set by Poland will weaken the warrant's validity and will enable ignoring it in other cases and places."

In November, France said it believes Netanyahu enjoys immunity — due to Israel not being an ICC member — thus allowing the Israeli leader to visit the country without being arrested.

Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu invited Netanyahu to visit his country, despite Bucharest being one of the 125 signatories to the ICC's Rome Statutes.

Hungary also criticized the arrest warrant, with Prime Minister Viktor Orban inviting his good friend Netanyahu to visit Budapest in response.

Court hearing postponed

Additionally, Netanyahu has other plans for International Holocaust Memorial Day.

On January 17, the District Court of Jerusalem approved his request to postpone testimony in one of his ongoing corruption cases, due to his need to recover from a recent surgery.

The new date set for the Israeli leader to attend the hearing: January 27.

Unlike the ceremony in Poland, a far greater number of Israelis are expected to tune in to Netanyahu's court appearance.

Edited by: Jon Shelton