The Simon Wiesenthal Center welcomed the deportation to Germany ofTrawniki guard Jakiw Palij which marked the culmination of alengthy effort to remove him from the United States.
In a statement issued by its chiefNazi-hunter Dr. Efraim Zuroff, the Center praised the perseverance and dedication of the American authorities.
According to Zuroff:"The United States officials involved in thiscase, and especially OSI Director Eli M. Rosenbaum, deserve enormous credit for their unflagging efforts to have Palij removed from the United States. A 14-year long campaignhas finally been crowned with success. Trawniki guards do not deserve the privilege of living in the United States and that was finally achieved last night."
The Wiesenthal Center officials also commended USAmbassador Rick Grenell, who made the deportation of Palij a diplomatic priority, and Germany's Foreign Minister, Heiko Maas for making the decision to accept Palij. In doingso, Maas, who has said, "I went into politics because of Auschwitz" has clearly demonstrated a strong acceptance of Germany's responsibility for the genocide of Europe's Jewsduring World War II.
