Many Polish citizens currently staying in the Middle East are wondering how to return to Poland. The only “assistance” offered by the Polish state is a hotline that does not operate around the clock. Representatives of the Polish government appear to have slowed down their efforts. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence – Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz – has left Poland for the United States, while Prime Minister Donald Tusk spent the weekend in his hometown of Sopot.
Since Saturday morning, an operation by Israel and the United States targeting Iran has been underway. As a result of the strikes, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other high-ranking officials were killed. As part of the announced retaliation – Tehran has launched attacks on U.S. bases in the region. Explosions have been heard across many Middle Eastern countries.
Poles Without Government Assistance
In response to the situation in the Middle East, countries in the region are closing their airspace. Significant disruptions to air traffic have occurred. Many carriers have cancelled flights in the region, including LOT Polish Airlines (PLL LOT), which has decided to suspend connections to Tel Aviv (Israel) through March 15 inclusive, and to Dubai (United Arab Emirates) and Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) through March 2.
Many Poles remain on the ground, unable to return home. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has offered a second hotline as a form of “assistance”, operating during designated hours. However, no military aircraft have been dispatched to allow Polish citizens to return safely to Poland. The Czech Republic, for example, has sent four aircraft to Oman.
Three Boeing 737 Max aircraft will fly to Muscat, and one to Salalah. In the Drozd system, analogous to Poland’s Odyseusz system, 6,650 Czech citizens currently in the Middle East have registered.
Moreover, the Czech Prime Minister announced that Prague is ready to send aircraft to Egypt to retrieve Czech nationals staying in Israel, but due to the closed airspace they must first cross the border into Egypt on their own. Evacuation from the United Arab Emirates is also impossible, where according to the Drozd system approximately 3,500 Czechs are currently located.
“We Are Leaving You to Your Fate”
“The Polish state is saying: no, we are leaving you to your fate. A great deal could be done. It would be possible, for example, to send a bus to Saudi Arabia and organize a safe air bridge from there. But the Polish state is doing nothing. Another day is passing. People there are in danger. I understand that the Polish government may have limited influence over high-level politics regarding Iran, but at least it should take care of its own citizens. We are unable or unwilling to take care of our citizens who are stranded there. They are not even doing that. This demonstrates the senselessness and incompetence of this government”, commented editor Tomasz Grodecki on Michał Rachoń’s program.
Cezary Gmyz shared his own recent experience related to traveling to Israel.
“I recently returned from Israel. When I was going there, I was aware that I might have trouble getting back. I had, of course, read the warnings issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The same was true when I traveled to Lebanon. However, we are dealing with a different situation here. As far as the Persian Gulf countries are concerned, there were no warnings regarding Dubai, Doha, or Qatar. These people were not warned by the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I understand that those who traveled to Lebanon or Israel were, in a sense, going at their own risk, but that does not mean they should be abandoned. However, if someone is stuck at an airport in Abu Dhabi or Doha, the Polish state has an obligation to intervene”, said the investigative journalist of TV Republika.
Meanwhile… Tusk Took a Break
Niezalezna.pl reported this morning on the conduct of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, who once again left Poland in a moment of heightened threat. It turns out that Prime Minister Donald Tusk also found time to rest during a period critically important to the security of Polish women and men.
Media reports indicate that the head of government spent the weekend in his hometown of Sopot. “The situation in Poland and around the world remains highly tense. War continues beyond our eastern border, and the opposition is criticizing the government’s draft bill designed to facilitate the acquisition and use of funds from the SAFE program. Prime Minister Donald Tusk faces dozens of decisions every day – from state security and public finances to difficult international negotiations. In such a rhythm, there is very little time left for rest. Nevertheless, on Saturday the head of government decided to slow down. At around 10:00 a.m., a government limousine with tinted windows stopped in front of his house. Donald Tusk stepped out, nodded to an officer of the State Protection Service, and calmly entered the building”, writes “Super Express”.