In the wake of an attack on a humanitarian convoy in the Gaza Strip which resulted in the death of a Polish national, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk voiced his concerns over the comments made by his Israeli counterpart and the Israeli ambassador to Poland.
Tusk expressed “understandable anger” through a statement, prompting a sharp retort from his predecessor, Mateusz Morawiecki.
Using his X account, Donald Tusk directly addressed the events in the Gaza Strip and the attack on the humanitarian convoy, specifically calling out Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli ambassador to Poland, Yacov Livne.
“Prime Minister Netanyahu, Ambassador Livne, the vast majority of Poles have shown full solidarity with Israel following the Hamas attack. Today, you are putting this solidarity to the test. The tragic attack on volunteers and your reaction to it has sparked understandable anger,” Tusk wrote.
In response to Tusk’s post, the former Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki chose to respond in a sarcastic manner, suggesting that Tusk’s statement was overly gentle. “One can get angry when the holiday vegetable salad doesn’t turn out right. Seriously, a bit more gravitas is needed,” Morawiecki commented.
This exchange followed statements by Netanyahu and Livne on Tuesday in which the Israeli prime minister remarked that “these things happen in war, and we will thoroughly investigate this incident. We are in contact with the relevant governments and will do everything to prevent such an occurrence in the future.” He described the attack on the convoy as a “tragic accident of unintended harm to innocent people.”
Ambassador Livne’s comments were even more controversial, as he labeled Poles demanding a response to Israel’s stance as anti-Semites. “Antisemites will always remain anti-Semites, and Israel will continue to be a democratic Jewish state fighting for its right to exist, also for the benefit of the entire Western world,” Livne stated.
The actions of the Israeli military, which resulted in the death of a Polish volunteer, have been met with widespread criticism within Polish society, with calls for an explanation from the Israeli side. Some are calling the act an outright war crime, while others believe the Israeli ambassador’s stance should result in his immediate expulsion from the country.
The incident occurred on Monday when the Israeli army fired upon a World Central Kitchen humanitarian convoy delivering food to the Gaza Strip.
The death toll included seven individuals, among them citizens of Australia, Canada, and Great Britain, in addition to the Polish national.
