Israel, Poland upgrade ties

By · April 10, 2008

Israel and Poland are upgrading ties.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert hosted his Polish counterpart, Donald Tusk, this week for talks on improving bilateral relations.

A major killing ground during the Nazi Holocaust, Poland has made efforts to come closer to the Jewish state and is regarded by Jerusalem as remarkably important given its E.U. membership and support for the U.S.-led war on terror.

“If you here – and I speak of the citizens of the State of Israel – have a justified feeling of being threatened, not only because of terror, but also because of actions or lack of actions taken by large countries in the world, I want to tell you that Poland, in the framework of our modest abilities, is a country which now and will in the future demonstrate great determination and sensitivity to threats like terror,” Tusk said Wednesday at a press conference with Olmert.

The two leaders agreed on a series of joint initiatives including in commerce, in culture and in exchange programs for Israeli and Polish youths.

Tusk was scheduled to visit Yad Vashem on Thursday.