Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar has slammed his Polish counterpart Radosław Sikorski for making reckless statements about the destruction of a Christian symbol in Lebanon, Politico reports.
Saar apologized to all Christians on the 20th of April after a picture of an Israeli soldier smashing a statue of Jesus with a sledgehammer went viral over the weekend. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was shocked and saddened by the incident. Despite the apology from Israeli officials, Sikorski wrote on the X that the soldier should be punished and that lessons about military training should be learned from the incident. The Polish center-right politician added that Israeli soldiers themselves admit to war crimes, and that they killed not only Palestinian civilians but also their own prisoners.
Saar responded by saying that Sikorski’s writing showed ignorance and lack of understanding. He added that the Israeli armed forces are a professional and ethical army, and there is no Western army that is more accurate in combating terrorism and better at using intelligence.
Israel’s foreign minister confirmed that an initial investigation had been completed and that appropriate measures would be taken against those involved. The minister also added that the statue would be restored.
The Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, condemned the incident, saying it was a serious insult to the Christian faith.
The spat between the Polish and Israeli ministers comes at a time of rising tensions between Israel and the European Union, with
even traditional Israeli supporters expressing concern about the actions in Palestine.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the Germans were deeply concerned about developments in the Palestinian territories. Italy last week did not renew a defense agreement with Israel.
Hungary’s newly elected Prime Minister Péter Magyar said on the 20th of April that if Netanyahu decides to visit Hungary, it will be obliged to arrest him. This is related to the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court in November 2024 for the Israeli prime minister for war crimes and crimes against humanity. States parties to the ICC treaty are obliged to arrest individuals subject to such warrants.
Hungary previously refused to arrest Netanyahu, and outgoing Prime Minister Viktor Orbán announced in April 2025 that Hungary would withdraw from the ICC’s jurisdiction. The withdrawal process takes a year to take effect. Magyar has said that he will suspend the withdrawal process before it takes effect on the 2nd of June. Asked what the new decision would mean for Netanyahu’s visit, which is scheduled for the fall, Magyar said that he had also made it clear to the Israeli prime minister that the Tisza government’s firm commitment is to halt the withdrawal process and maintain Hungary’s place at the ICC. Therefore,
if a person wanted by the ICC arrives in Hungary, the Hungarians are obliged to arrest that person.
It is true that some countries have indicated that they can be members of the ICC without executing such arrest warrants. France has said that Netanyahu’s arrest would be in violation of treaties with Israel. This position is supported by Article 98 of the ICC Statute – a state may not act in violation of its obligations under international law with regard to a person’s diplomatic immunity. German Chancellor at the time Olaf Scholz said in the spring of 2025 that he could not imagine the Germans arresting the Israeli prime minister. Italy has also guaranteed Netanyahu’s diplomatic immunity.
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