What is the Visegrad Group and why has its Israel summit been cancelled?
Diplomatic tensions between Warsaw and Jerusalem boil over following Netanyahu’s comments about Holocaust
![Visegrad Group](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/CbdxLP8ATBeTfhGFGpX9Wj-415-80.jpg)
A meeting of leaders from the four former communist states that comprise the Visegrad Group has been cancelled, amid a diplomatic row with Israel.
Poland announced today that it was withdrawing from the talks, which were to take place in Jerusalem, after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly said that “Poles cooperated with the Germans” during the Holocaust. The remaining three nations in the group - Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia - have since said they will only hold bilateral meetings with Israel.
What is the Visegrad Group?
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
![https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516-320-80.jpg)
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The Visegrad Group, also known as the V4, is a cultural and political alliance of the four Central European states. The group takes its name from the Hungarian city of Visegrad, where kings once met for economic and political negotiations.
V4 describes itself as “reflect[ing] the efforts of the countries of the Central European region to work together in a number of fields of common interest within the all-European integration”.
But its actual functions are a matter of debate. Deutsche Welle reports that “despite their differences and the fact that they belong to different political groupings within the EU, in recent years one topic, in particular, has brought the V4 together: the refugee question”.
“All four countries categorically reject fixed EU distribution quotas,” the German newspaper adds.
The Visegrad members - particularly the nationalist governments of Poland and Hungary - want a so-called Europe of homelands, rather than a political union in the mould of the EU.
BBC Europe editor Katya Adler says that Hungary’s foreign minister once told her they were the “bad boys” of Europe - but she claims they are more “Brussels-sceptic” than “Eurosceptic”, with “a common, though varying degree of dislike for EU centralisation”.
Why was the summit to take place in Israel?
The summit would have been the first time the V4 had met outside of Europe since the group was founded, in 1991. Israel had offered to host the meeting in a bid to strengthen ties with members of the EU.
“Netanyahu has been seeking Visegrad support for Israel’s policy toward the Palestinians amid signs that their attitude on the matter is diverging from the rest of the European Union,” says Deutsche Welle.
But Netanyahu’s comments last week about the Holocaust have caused a major rift between Israel and Poland.
What exactly did Netanyahu say?
The row began on Thursday when Netanyahu’s alleged comments about Poles helping Nazis were reported. His office later said he was misquoted by domestic media as saying “the Poles”, suggesting blame of the entire nation rather than individuals.
However, Israel’s newly appointing acting foreign minister, Israel Katz, triggered further anger with his assertions during a radio broadcast today.
“Historical truth cannot be changed. Many Poles collaborated with the Nazis and took part in the destruction of the Jews during the Holocaust,” Katz said. “Anti-Semitism was innate among the Poles before the Holocaust, during it and after it too.”
Polish PM Mateusz Morawiecki said the comments were “disgraceful” and promptly pulled out of this week’s summit in Jerusalem.
Reuters reports that Poland’s nationalist government has “sought to debunk references to potential Polish collaboration in the Holocaust”, in an effort to “fight for the truth”. Tensions with Jerusalem have been high after Warsaw’s introduction last year of the so-called Holocaust Distortion Law, under which claiming that Poland or the Polish people were complicit in the Holocaust is a punishable offence.
During the Second World War, Poland suffered “brutal occupation by the Nazi and Soviet regimes”, during which more than five million Poles died, the BBC reports. Around three million of them were Jews.
Morawiecki last week tweeted a message insisting that there was “no Polish regime” during that brutal period.
“However, individual Poles did take part in killing Jews during and after the War,” according to The New York Times.
The newspaper continues: “Many Holocaust survivors and their relatives carry painful memories of persecution at Polish hands. In Israel, there has been anger at what many there perceive to be Polish attempts today to whitewash that history.”
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Big Tech's answer for AI-driven job loss: universal basic income
In The Spotlight A new study reveals the strengths and limitations
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
'I will not be silent' on Gaza, says Kamala Harris
Speed Read In a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Harris supported Israel's right to defend itself while expressing a desire to end Palestinian suffering
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
'How long can TikTok dominate as a social network?'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
'I will not be silent' on Gaza, says Kamala Harris
Speed Read In a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Harris supported Israel's right to defend itself while expressing a desire to end Palestinian suffering
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
Is the new Palestinian unity a mirage? And how will it affect the war?
Today's Big Question 'Bitter foes' Hamas and Fatah look to the future
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Netanyahu makes controversial address
Speed Reads Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech to Congress denounced Gaza war protestors
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
'Democrats now have a chance to present a vigorous, compelling case'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
ICJ ruling: will 'damning verdict' stop Netanyahu?
Talking Point The UN's top court has ruled Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories breaks international law
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Israel intercepts Houthi rocket after Yemen strike
Speed Read Just hours after its deadly strike on Houthi rebels, Israel said it shot down a Yemen missile
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Venezuela election: first vote in a decade offers hope to poverty-stricken nation
The Explainer Nicolás Maduro agreed to 'free and fair' vote but poor polling and threat of prosecution pushes disputed leader to desperate methods
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
How could J.D. Vance impact the special relationship?
Today's Big Question Trump's hawkish pick for VP said UK is the first 'truly Islamist country' with a nuclear weapon
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published