Israel, Poland hold joint cabinet meeting

Feb 24, 2011, 14:41 GMT

Jerusalem - Israel and Poland held Thursday a joint cabinet meeting which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said would deepen ties between the two countries.

'We are promoting, with tangible actions, our deep bilateral cooperation,' Netanyahu told the visiting delegation headed by Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.

Netanyahu said Israel and Poland had a 'shared history' and that the joint session had both 'practical and symbolic importance.'

He earlier told Tusk on his arrival in Jerusalem that 'the Jewish people are an indelible part of Polish history, and Poland is an indelible part of Jewish history.'

'It is a history of great tragedy and great struggle and great triumph,' Netanyahu said.

He was referring to World War II Nazi-occupied Poland, which saw some 88 per cent of its pre-war Jewish population killed, turning the country into what has been called 'the biggest Jewish graveyard in the world.'

'The Jews suffered in Europe and on the soil of Poland greatly. The Polish people suffered too, greatly, in their quest for freedom, both in the 19th century and in the 20th century. We suffered in the Warsaw Ghetto, you suffered in Warsaw,' said Netanyahu.

Tusk headed a delegation of five senior officials, including Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski and Defence Minister Bogdan Klich.

The two premiers also discussed the current turmoil in the Middle East.

'We are at a period of great instability, and I know that you and all responsible leaders around the world seek to strengthen stability and work for the expansion of the circle of peace,' said Netanyahu.

He reiterated that Israel hoped the fast-moving change in the region would be for the best, but that his country had to 'prepare for every scenario.'

An Israeli Foreign Ministry statement thanked Poland for backing Israel in international forums.

In Warsaw, meanwhile, pro-Palestinian activists hung a huge Palestinian scarf around a famous palm tree sculpture in Warsaw to protest Tusk's meetings in Jerusalem and planned an afternoon protest.

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