European right-wing parties are often considered allies of Netanyahu, but a significant failure occurred in Poland

The scandal in the Polish Sejm revealed a problem broader than the antics of one deputy

A loud political scandal erupted in Poland after a deputy from the far-right party ‘Confederation’, Konrad Berkowicz, appeared in the Sejm on April 14, 2026, with an Israeli flag on which a Nazi symbol was depicted instead of the Star of David. Moreover, he publicly stated that ‘Israel is the new Third Reich’, thereby turning a political provocation into an area of blatant historical substitution and anti-Israeli demonization.

For the Israeli audience, this cannot be perceived as just another crude stunt by a radical politician.

When the symbolism of the Third Reich is transferred to the flag of the Jewish state, it is no longer a debate about Middle Eastern politics or a dispute about the actions of the Israeli government. It is a blow to the memory of the Holocaust, to the historical sensitivity of the Jewish people, and to the very boundary of what is permissible in European public life.

The situation became even more indicative after the reaction of the leader of the ‘Confederation’, Krzysztof Bosak. Instead of a harsh condemnation, he effectively defended his party member, calling the punishment ‘absolutely inadequate’ and attempting to present Berkowicz’s act as a form of criticism of Israel’s military actions. It was at this moment that it became clear that this was not an isolated incident, but a symptom of a deeper political line.

Why this is no longer just anti-Israeli rhetoric, but a worrying signal for Europe

The Speaker of the Sejm, Wlodzimierz Czarzasty, announced his intention to seek financial penalties for Berkowicz, including a reduction in his salary. This indicates that part of the Polish political class still understands that what happened cannot be dismissed as ordinary parliamentary rudeness or an overly emotional form of expression.

But something else is more important. The defense of such actions by the party leadership means that in the far-right environment of Poland, moral and historical constraints, which seemed unshakable not so long ago, are becoming less noticeable.

When Nazi symbolism begins to be used as a tool to attack Israel and then receives political cover, it already speaks of an attempt to normalize language that should have remained beyond the permissible for Europe.

For Israel, this is especially painful. Here, they understand well the difference between criticizing a specific cabinet of ministers and turning the Jewish state into an object of demonization using Nazi imagery. The Polish case shows how quickly radical rhetoric can turn into a direct destruction of historical taboos.

‘Confederation’ has no normal relations with Israel — there is hostility, provocations, and systemic confrontation

If you look at the situation more broadly, it becomes clear that the story with Berkowicz did not arise out of nowhere. Today, the Polish ‘Confederation’ has neither respectful nor consistently working relations with Israel. On the contrary, in recent years, the party and figures associated with it have increasingly found themselves at the center of anti-Israeli and scandalously anti-Semitic episodes.

In this sense, Israel has become a convenient target for the ‘Confederation’. Far-right forces in Europe often use topics that are guaranteed to evoke strong emotion, international attention, and political noise. In such logic, Israel becomes the ideal object of attack: it is enough to take the topic of war, historical memory, or Jewish sensitivity — and the provocation already works for the recognition of the radical.

But the problem is deeper.

‘Confederation’ integrates anti-Israeli rhetoric into a broader system of its own ideas: anti-liberal, anti-European, often anti-Ukrainian, and openly confrontational towards mainstream politics. In this system, Israel is not perceived as a partner for dialogue or an ally in the field of security. It is used as a symbol through which opponents can be attacked, taboos can be broken, and political capital can be gathered on scandal.

Why the party has no closeness with either Israel or Netanyahu

Sometimes there may be a superficial impression that nationalist or far-right parties in Europe should be closer to Israel, especially when it comes to a tough line on security issues. But in the case of the ‘Confederation’, this does not work. There is no ideological alliance with Jerusalem and certainly no political closeness with Benjamin Netanyahu.

On the contrary, party representatives in recent years have openly attacked not only Israel as a state but also Netanyahu himself. In the Polish political and media environment, the ‘Confederation’ increasingly acts not as a critic of individual decisions of the Israeli cabinet but as a force that consciously uses Israel and its prime minister as an object of an aggressive campaign.

Therefore, it is important not to confuse ordinary discussions about Middle Eastern politics with what this party does. Here we see not a diplomatic dispute and not a conservative polemic, but a sustained line of political hostility that easily crosses into a morally dangerous zone.

It is in this context that NAnews — Israel News | Nikk.Agency considers both the scandal in the Polish Sejm and the broader issue of the ‘Confederation’s’ relations with Israel: as part of a worrying trend where the Jewish theme and memory of Nazism become for radicals a tool not of discussion, but of provocation.

Bosak, Berkowicz, Mentzen, and Braun: different faces of one dangerous environment

To understand the scale of the problem, it is important to distinguish figures within this political environment but not lose sight of the overall picture. Konrad Berkowicz became the face of a specific scandal with the Israeli flag and Nazi symbolism. Krzysztof Bosak showed himself as a politician who did not want to draw a clear red line and preferred to defend the stunt under the guise of freedom of expression.

Slawomir Mentzen is associated with more systemic and harsh anti-Israeli rhetoric. And Grzegorz Braun has long turned into a symbol of scandalous anti-Semitic behavior after the story of extinguishing Hanukkah candles in the Polish Sejm with a fire extinguisher. For Israel and Jewish communities, all these episodes add up to one picture: they are not faced with a random set of unrestrained politicians, but an environment where radicalism on Jewish and Israeli themes has become part of the political handwriting.

This is especially dangerous for Europe because such parties know how to mask historical substitution as ‘bold truth’ and ‘fight against censorship’. First, a shocking gesture appears, then justification begins, then — a conversation about freedom of speech, and gradually society gets used to what was previously considered unacceptable. This mechanism is where the real risk lies.

For Israel, the conclusion is crystal clear. ‘Confederation’ is not a friendly force either towards the Jewish state or towards Netanyahu. It is a political environment where anti-Israeli aggression, historical substitution, and dangerous play with the theme of Nazism are increasingly used as a tool for internal mobilization.

That is why what is happening in Poland cannot be dismissed as someone else’s local exoticism. It is about a much more serious process: in part of European far-right politics, the boundaries of what is permissible are once again being blurred, and the memory of the Holocaust and the attitude towards Israel are turning into a field for political spectacle. For the Jewish state and for all who understand the cost of such substitutions, this is no longer a private scandal, but an important alarm signal.