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http://www.ynetnews.com 'Free Palestine' sprayed on Warsaw Ghetto wall
Former Israeli pilot known for signing refusniks' letter hangs Palestinian flag on ghetto wall, writes, 'Free all ghettos' The words, "Free all the ghettos" and "Free Gaza and Palestine" were sprayed on the remains of the Warsaw Ghetto wall in Poland several days ago. The assailant was none other than former Israel Air Force pilot Yonatan Shapira. Shapira, who became well known for signing the pilots' refusal letter in 2003, and for a song written about him by singer Aya Korem, toured Poland with a group of local leftists. During his visit he sprayed the graffiti on one of the last ghetto walls standing in Warsaw, and hung the Palestinian flag on the wall together with the Polish leftists. His actions were filmed and uploaded to pro-Palestinian websites in Europe. "Most of my family comes from Poland, and many of my relatives were killed in the extermination camps during the Holocaust," Shapira said. "When I walk through what is left of the ghetto, I can't help but think of the residents of Gaza, who are locked in a giant open-air prison and bombed by fighter jets and assault helicopters flown by people who I have served with in the past." Polish leftist and coordinator for the Free Gaza movement in Poland, Ewa Jasiewicz, who also took part in the aid flotilla to the Strip, said, "People here need to wake up and understand that the occupation and the ghettos did not end with the end of the Second World War. "The policy of controlling other peoples' lives and land is being implemented today in Palestine and is being carried out by the State of Israel. We have a responsibility to liberate all the ghettos and end the occupation." The Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem responded furiously to the actions of Shapira and the Polish activists, and the Israeli embassy in Poland plans to demand the Warsaw municipality remove the writing as soon as possible. Deputy Minister for Pensioner Affairs Dr. Leah Nass said on Sunday, "This vile act demonstrates how imperative commemoration is these days, in order to prevent Holocaust denial. I plan to contact the authorities in Poland to prosecute the law-breakers and anarchists."
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