Poland warns of response after Israeli demolition plans threaten Polish-funded aid projects in West Bank

Poland warned Wednesday that it will respond "together with other countries" after Israeli authorities moved closer to demolishing a Bedouin village in the occupied West Bank, where a Polish NGO has spent years running humanitarian projects funded partly by Warsaw.

"If Israel liquidates Khan al-Ahmar, its residents will become homeless and the effects of three years of work financed by Polish taxpayers' money will be lost," the group said in comments carried by the Polish Press Agency.

The Polish Medical Mission, a Krakow-based humanitarian group, said Israeli plans to remove the village would destroy the results of a three-year Polish-backed aid effort and leave residents homeless.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Maciej Wewior said Warsaw would react jointly with other states that oppose the demolition plans.

The case places Poland increasingly visibly inside a widening European dispute with Israel over humanitarian access, West Bank settlements, and the treatment of activists linked to Gaza aid efforts.

Khan al-Ahmar, an internationally recognized symbol of Palestinian displacement in the occupied West Bank, lies east of Jerusalem near the strategic E1 corridor, an area long viewed by Palestinians and European governments as critical to the territorial continuity of a future Palestinian state. Israeli governments have repeatedly argued that the village was built illegally, while critics say its removal would amount to forced transfer under international law.

In a landmark opinion last July, the International Court of Justice declared Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory illegal and called for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

European diplomats, including EU member states, have repeatedly intervened over previous demolition attempts. International concern has focused particularly on donor-funded humanitarian infrastructure, including schools and social facilities financed by European governments and NGOs.

- Poland growing more critical of Israel

The latest dispute comes during one of the sharpest deteriorations in Polish-Israeli relations in years.

Only days ago, Poland summoned Israel's charge d'affaires after Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir mocked detained pro-Palestinian activists, including Polish citizens, from the Global Sumud Flotilla attempting to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza. Warsaw later launched procedures to ban Ben-Gvir from entering Poland.

The Polish Foreign Ministry also demanded an explanation from Israel over the interception of the flotilla in international waters.

Poland has historically maintained relatively close ties with Israel compared with several Western European states and strongly condemned the Hamas attack of October 2023. But the humanitarian situation in Gaza, tensions over Israeli officials' rhetoric, and disputes involving Polish citizens have increasingly pulled Warsaw toward broader European criticism of Israeli policy.

Poland has also publicly opposed Israeli settlement expansion in the West Bank in previous diplomatic statements, aligning itself with the EU position that settlements undermine prospects for a two-state solution.

For the Polish Medical Mission, however, the issue is immediate rather than geopolitical. The organization says it has spent years delivering medical and social support in Khan al-Ahmar, with some programs co-financed by the Polish Foreign Ministry.

Aid groups argue that demolition of donor-funded infrastructure not only displaces vulnerable communities but also risks deepening tensions between Israel and European governments financing humanitarian operations in Palestinian territories.

The row also reflects a broader European shift toward more openly confrontational language over Israel's conduct in Gaza and the occupied territories. Governments including Spain, Ireland, and Norway have sharply criticized Israeli operations in recent months, while several EU states have faced growing domestic pressure to take a tougher stance on humanitarian access and civilian protection.

Poland's language remains more cautious than some Western European counterparts. Officials continue balancing criticism of Israeli actions with longstanding support for Israel's security and condemnation of Hamas. But Warsaw's increasingly public diplomatic interventions suggest the government is becoming less willing to remain on the sidelines as the conflict widens politically across Europe.