Poland and Israel are expected to establish full diplomatic relations by the end of this month, after years of preparation, according to Ami Mehl, second secretary of the Israeli interests office in Warsaw.
Though relations overall are good, there is already some friction between the two countries, because most of the thousands of Polish tourists going to Israel have stayed on there to work illegally, Mehl said.
Nevertheless, he added, “in less than a month, we will probably be a normal embassy. Now we function as an embassy except for the name.”
He said Israeli Foreign Minister Moshe Arens would visit Poland to sign the agreement and that there would be “back and forth” visits by the fall.
Poland and all Soviet bloc states except Romania cut ties with Israel after the Six-Day war in 1967. But the democratic changes that have swept the Communist world in recent months have meant a new rapport with the Jewish state.
Hungary became the first Warsaw Pact country to restore full relations with Israel last September.
It appears Czechoslovakia will be the second. Arens is scheduled to visit Prague on Friday, when the resumption of formal relations is expected to be announced.
But Polish-Israeli relations are already described now as virtually total, except in name. And despite Poland’s history of anti-Semitism, there is widespread pro-Israel sentiment throughout this country, according to both Polish and Israeli sources.
ISRAELI FLAG FLIES OVER MISSION
Israel is “seen as a Western democratic state and a state in the front line in the struggle against Communism,” said Kostek Gebert, a Jewish writer and journalist.
“Also, it is a strong religious, national state — very much what Poles want Poland to be.”
A Polish-Israel Friendship Society was founded last year by people connected with Solidarity. Despite the chronic lack of funds that organizations experience here, the society has been successful organizing lectures, discussions and meetings. It also maintains contacts with organizations in Israel.
Anyone walking down Krzywickiego Street in central Warsaw cannot help but notice the blue-and-white Israeli flag flying proudly over the doorway to No. 24 and the menorah-shaped plaque announcing that it is the Israeli interests office.
“The mission was established in 1986,” said Mehl, whose parents were Polish Jews. His father was an Auschwitz survivor.
“At that time, it was part of the Dutch Embassy. Our status changed over one-and-a-half years ago. It became an independent section of interest.”
All morning, people buzz at the gate of the Israeli office to be admitted to the consular section for visas. Last spring, direct flights were initiated between Warsaw and Tel Aviv, and this has triggered a lot of two-way traffic.
It has also caused some problems.
“In the last half of 1989, about 5,400 Poles got tourist visas to Israel,” said Mehl.
“That’s a lot. You can see that they have to come and wait in lines for visas. In the summer, it’s like the U.S. Embassy, with big lines of people waiting.
ISRAELIS GIVE FEWER VISAS NOW
“It started out nicely, but has caused problems, because most of these Poles, over 90 percent, stayed in Israel to work illegally. We know it, because they don’t leave Israel when their visa ends.
“This is a problem, especially in one sense: that they work without social security and medical insurance. If something happens to them, it costs a lot of money and is very unpleasant to both sides,” he said.
“Not to mention the fact that as a sovereign state, we can’t allow people to work illegally,” Mehl added.
He said that this situation is a problem with Poles in many countries all over the world.
As a result, he said, the Israelis have tightened up their visa policy for Poles.
“We give fewer visas now. People need to have enough money to stay in Israel. If we have any reason to suspect they are just going there to work, they don’t get a visa. The decision is made in Israel.
“For us it’s a problem” the Israeli official added. “There are a lot of Poles who go legally to Israel. We recognize the importance of Israel as a holy land.
“Poland is a very religious country, and many would like to come on pilgrimage. We want to allow them,” he said, “but it’s a problem.”
In addition to Poles traveling to Israel, many Israelis come to Poland, the country which has become the symbol of Jewish martyrdom in the Holocaust.
Numerous Israeli youth groups are brought here on tours to visit cemeteries, ghettoes and concentration camps, such as Auschwitz and Treblinka.
‘A LOT OF TRAGIC HISTORY’
“Unfortunately, there is a lot of tragic history in Poland. When they leave Poland, they are in a big state of shock. They don’t understand how and why, but they understand that something happened here that should never happen again,” Mehl said.
Jan Jagielski, vice president of Poland’s Citizens Committee for the Protection of Jewish Cemeteries and Cultural Monuments, said he hopes that in the future, young people might be able to stay longer and help the committee in its efforts to clean up and restore Poland’s Jewish cemeteries and other monuments.
Mehl said that Polish-Israeli relations are beginning to flourish in other areas, including trade. But Poland’s disastrous economic situation makes things hard.
“Israel doesn’t need Poland, Poland needs Israel,” he said.
He said there are also “sporadic” cultural exchanges, including a major exhibition of contemporary Israeli sculpture and graphics, which opened in Warsaw on Feb. 1 and will also be shown in Krakow.
For Poland’s few thousand remaining Jews, the rapprochement with Israel has been satisfying. About 20 Polish Jews have immigrated to Israel in the past six months. Even those staying say the possibility of having close ties with Israel is important.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
