21.04.2026 06:40
Poland's Foreign Minister Sikorski reacted to the Israeli soldier's act of vandalizing a statue of Jesus in Lebanon, stating that he should be punished. Sikorski said, "Israeli soldiers are confessing to war crimes themselves. They have killed not only Palestinian civilians but even their own hostages." Israeli Minister Saar rejected these statements. While mutual accusations continue between the parties, Israel apologized for the incident and launched an investigation.
Poland's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski drew attention with his statements regarding an Israeli soldier breaking a statue of Jesus Christ in southern Lebanon. Sharing on the US-based X platform, Sikorski welcomed the apology from Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar but emphasized that the incident was a serious matter.
“THE SOLDIER MUST BE PUNISHED”
Sikorski stated that the soldier in question should be punished and made harsh criticisms of the Israeli army. Claiming that Israeli soldiers have confessed to war crimes, Sikorski said, “They killed not only Palestinian civilians but even their own hostages.”
MUTUAL HARSH STATEMENTS
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar responded to Sikorski's statements via X. Saar described the words directed at the Israel Defense Forces as “baseless and defamatory” and rejected them in strong terms. He also claimed that Sikorski's statements contained “ignorance and a deep lack of understanding.”
Sikorski, not backing down, stated that he did not claim that Israeli soldiers intentionally killed hostages, but noted that such incidents indicate serious problems in military procedures. He also expressed that the mistakes made led to the deaths of individuals, including Polish humanitarian aid worker Damian Sobol.
ISRAEL HAD APOLOGIZED
The incident came to light when images emerged of an Israeli soldier breaking a statue of Jesus Christ in the town of Deyr Seryan in southern Lebanon. The Israeli army acknowledged that the images were real and announced that action would be taken against those responsible.
Israeli Foreign Minister Saar also described the incident as “serious and shameful” in his statement and apologized to the Christian world.