Poland says US ambassador nominee’s words are not acceptable

WARSAW, Poland – The Polish government has called unacceptable a remark made by the U.S. nominee to be the next U.S. ambassador to Poland.

Georgette Mosbacher, a businesswoman nominated by President Donald Trump, attributed the rise of anti-Semitism in Eastern Europe to a law passed in Poland earlier this year that criminalizes blaming Poland for the Holocaust crimes of Nazi Germany on its soil. The law angered Israel, which then triggered a wave of anti-Semitic rhetoric in Poland.

Mosbacher made the comment Tuesday during a nomination hearing before the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Deputy Foreign Minister Bartosz Cichocki said Poland does not accept the accusation that problems of anti-Semitism in Eastern Europe result from decisions taken in Poland.

Cichocki said he conveyed that message to Wess Mitchell, the top U.S. diplomat to Europe, on Wednesday.