Polish officials demand Israel apologize for 'racist' remarks

Senior Polish officials Tuesday demanded Israel apologize for comments on the alleged anti-Semitism of Poles in a row which led Warsaw to pull out of the Visegrad summit held in Jerusalem.

Israeli authorities must apologize, Junior Foreign Minister Szymon Szynkowski said, following Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz's comments at the weekend that Poles suckle anti-Semitism with their mothers' milk.

Israeli authorities must reject this declaration... and apologize, Junior Foreign Minister Szymon Szynkowski said.

Katz also said that the Poles collaborated with the Nazis in World War II and share responsibility for the Holocaust.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki withdrew from the Visegrad summit planned for Jerusalem this week after the latest salvo in a long row between Poland and Israel over history.

Morawiecki's chief of staff Marek Suski said if no apology was forthcoming relations will really take a frosty turn. The Polish premier on Monday described the comments as racist and unacceptable, adding that Katz was trying to insult the Poles by distorting history.

(AFP)