Normally, this column involves one table. However, in service of grasping Mordechai Palzur’s full, colorful story in its entirety – complete with materials that included a miniature revolver and a touching letter from pope John Paul II – In Jerusalem met with the retired veteran diplomat for two conversations on two days in two hotels, first at the Inbal, then the King David, Palzur, with his kind eyes and approachable manner, was eager to tell us every detail. We grouped our armchairs closely around him, listening intently.
First things first: Israel has not had a Polish ambassador since August 2021, even though an Israeli ambassador, Yaakov Livne, presented his credentials to Poland’s President Andrzej Duda in early July 2022. The Poles have said they will be sending an ambassador to Israel but have not said when. Palzur pulls no punches and blames for the diplomatic imbalance.
The Polish-born Palzur, set to celebrate his 95th birthday on July 22, was the first Israeli ambassador to Poland following the restoration of diplomatic relations between the countries after a two-decade post-Holocaust hiatus. All Soviet Bloc countries, except Romania, had severed diplomatic relations with Israel in the wake of the 1967 Six Day War. Palzur was the first Israeli diplomat to have served behind the Iron Curtain since 1967.
Fast forward to 2021, when Poland enacted legislation setting a 30-year time limit on reclamation of property initially seized by the Nazis and later by the .