Poland is planning to make a mockery out of international law by hosting war criminal Benjamin Netanyahu.
Andrzej Duda’s bizarre request to shield Netanyahu exposes Western hypocrisy and undermines the International Criminal Court’s credibility.
Good day, spectators,
And today we have a whopper.
Polish president, Andrzej Duda, has taken the outrageous step of requesting assurances that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will not be arrested should he attend the 80th anniversary of Auschwitz’s liberation. This move, first reported by Bloomberg, reveals the ridiculous hoops that Western leaders will jump through to shield their allies, even at the expense of their own legal obligations and reputation.
As an International Criminal Court (ICC) signatory, Poland technically has to enforce the ICC’s arrest warrant against Netanyahu, who stands accused of war crimes and let's be honest, we all know they are real. Yet Duda’s crying to Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk underscores a willingness to ignore these obligations for the sake of diplomatic niceties. Let me remind you, this comes from a country that has been extremely vocal about enforcing the ICC’s arrest warrant against Vladimir Putin, further highlighting the hypocrisy at play.
Duda justified his request by citing the “exceptional” nature of the Auschwitz liberation event, as though the history somehow exempts Poland from its legal responsibilities. If anything, this setting should reinforce the importance of adhering to international law, not undermine it. This, my friends, is the spectacle for which this magazine is named.
implications.
This incident is more than just a diplomatic faux pas; it’s emblematic of the selective application of justice that has come to define the West. Poland’s willingness to disregard its ICC obligations for Netanyahu but not for Putin exposes the hollowness of its supposed commitment to the rule of law. It raises troubling questions: What message does this send to the international community? What happens when countries selectively enforce international law based on political alliances?
By choosing to shield Netanyahu, Poland is undermining the credibility of the ICC altogether. If international law can be so easily bent to suit political interests, it ceases to be law and becomes, well…theatre—just another tool in the geopolitical playbook.
hypocrisy.
Poland’s double standard is not an isolated case though. The West has a long history of selectively enforcing international law, particularly when it comes to entities like Israel. These are the same governments that sit on their high horses, sanctimoniously demanding accountability from adversaries like Russia or China, yet suddenly twiddle their thumbs when their allies are under scrutiny.
This hypocrisy is particularly overt given the nature of Netanyahu’s alleged crimes. The ICC’s warrant stems from Israel’s actions in Gaza and the West Bank, where civilians have faced unimaginable suffering under apartheid and genocide. If leaders like Duda are willing to ignore this warrant, it’s not just a failure of law—it’s a failure of morality. It is absolutely no surprise that the global south is looking on in horror and turning away from the West, something I'm going to write about next week in the microscope.
the big picture.
These clowns are playing a dangerous game and Duda’s reckless actions set a dangerous precedent. If Poland, which is a member of the ICC and a self-proclaimed “champion of justice” in Europe, openly flouts its legal obligations, what’s stopping other nations from doing the same? It’s not just about Netanyahu or Poland—it’s about the integrity of a global system meant to ensure accountability for the world’s most serious crimes. Things are getting out of control here and this is not a world that we should be aiming to live in.
The ICC is already under attack from powerful nations like the United States, which strangely refuses to recognise its jurisdiction. Poland’s manoeuvre is just adding fuel to the fire, making it easier for countries to justify ignoring the court’s rulings.
so…
Poland’s willingness to contort itself into bizarre shapes to protect Netanyahu is a glaring reminder of the West’s moral decay. Andrzej Duda is making a mockery not just of international law but of Poland’s own credibility. Do the Polish people really want to be remembered as Netanyahu’s enablers at this point in history? I doubt it.
Anyway, if the ICC is to remain credible, its signatories have to act with integrity. Otherwise, the court will become yet another casualty of the political hypocrisy that has come to define our times.
And with that thought, I will let you go,
(As always, thanks for reading and please give this post a ❤️ and restack below. I look forward to hearing your opinions in the comments.)
Need a Polandball meme for this
Declan, as a Christian country looks like they’ve forgiven him already.