One of the world's main Holocaust memorials today slammed an agreement between Israel and Poland over a Polish law on the World War II genocide of Jews, saying it contains "deceptions".
Poland amended the law last week after it sparked outrage in Israel by imposing jail terms of up to three years against anyone found guilty of ascribing Nazi crimes to the Polish nation or state.
The amendment removed fines or criminal penalties from the legislation.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Polish counterpart Mateusz Morawiecki also issued a joint statement on the issue, which was later published in full in newspapers both in Israel and abroad.
But Yad Vashem, Israel's renowned Holocaust memorial and research centre in Jerusalem, today released a scathing analysis of the amended law and joint statement.
"A thorough review by Yad Vashem historians shows that the historical assertions, presented as unchallenged facts, in the joint statement contain grave errors and deceptions," it said.
It pointed to the joint statement's assertion that "numerous Poles" had risked their lives to rescue Jews.
"Poles' assistance to Jews during the Holocaust was relatively rare, and attacks against and even the murder of Jews were widespread phenomena," Yad Vashem said.
It added that the amended law remained problematic, warning of "the possibility of real harm to researchers, unimpeded research and the historical memory of the Holocaust."
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