The Israeli parliamentary delegation to the International Holocaust Remembrance Day event in Auschwitz-Birkenau will be leaving Israel for Poland on Tuesday, to take part in the January 27th event. The delegation includes Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and 11 MKs from the various parties, ironically perhaps, none from the prime minister’s Likud Party.

The delegation will be headed by MK (Labor) Prof. Yuli Tamir since Speaker Reuven Rivlin refused to participate following criticism against him during a previous trip abroad, on which his wife accompanied him.

The event is not without conflict, in this case surrounding MK (Ichud HaLeumi) Dr. Michael Ben-Ari, who expressed a willingness to participate, but he was prevented from doing so by the speaker, who stated there is no place for a racist in the delegation. Rivlin is a staunch opponent to the ideology of the late Rabbi Meir Kahane HY”D.

This year’s event will mark 65 years since the liberation of the death camp. Polish state leaders will address the event, as will the prime minister.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)