translated by:
"Lets quiet down over this grave," Lech Walesa told Radio ZET, after being
asked what the Poles should do about the murder in Jedwabne. He added that he had
apologized to the Jewish nation during his visit to Israel, and now he
expected an apology from the other side.
When asked "Who should apologize for the murder of Jews committed by the
Poles in Jedwabne ?" the former Polish President replied that "it would be
best if the dead did it - just as evildoers will do on Judgement Day."
Walesa reminded that he had apologized at the Kneset in 1991. " I apologized
to them as President of Poland, we've done it repeatedly, but not one Jew
has ever apologized to the Poles, in spite of the fact that many interesting things
went on [in the past], including Jewish perpetrators of crimes [against the
Poles]."
According to him, " there are Jewish also-runs [ an evident allusion to J.T.
Gross, the author of "Neighbours," whose books haven't sold too well both in
Poland and America] and others who live only from writing books, and who
reopen the old wounds, traumatizing the two nations who suffered most. This
is disgusting, and we should have ended it long ago. The two nations who
suffered so much should be tolerant of and patient with one another,
understanding that villains were on both sides" added the former President.
As far as he is concerned, "it [the murder in Jedwabne] happened during the
war; Poland was under the German and Russian administration, so one should
hold accountable those who caused the war, and even those who got
information from Mr. Karski"[ an allusion to the British and Americans
during WWII, who got to know about the Holocaust from Jan Karski, a courier
of the Polish-government-in-exile].
" Nations such as the US, France, and Great Britain have not apologized to us
for not keeping agreements and pacts " Walesa said.
" One can never say enough 'I am sorry,' but there's no need to make a
blame-game out of it only because somebody has written a book and made a few
bucks. The Polish and Jewish nations suffered so much that they should
never again be in conflict with one another. Those who should be beaten up
are those who used to beat us, and we shouldn't keep on bickering" he
added.
Asked if President Kwasniewski should apologize for the murder in Jedwabne,
Walesa replied: " He should start from an apology for communism, and that he
backed it, and other matters should be left to God."
back to the english home page
|