Croatian President Zoran Milanovic refused to meet Israeli
FM Gideon Saar during his Zagreb visit, citing Israel’s ongoing actions in
Gaza.
On social media, Milanovic expressed his confusion by Saar's invitation and the decision of Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, Foreign Minister Gordan Grlic Radman, and Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandrokovic to meet with him.
He emphasized that as long as Israel's "genocide against the people of Gaza" is ongoing, such a visit is intolerable.
“If I had met with someone from that government, it would mean accepting Israel’s violence, ethnic cleansing, and war crimes,”
Milanovic said.
He chastised the Croatian government for backing Israeli leaders rather than recognizing the State of Palestine.
“Comparing Israel’s attacks on Gaza with Croatia’s war in the 1990s is a huge mistake. Croatia then defended itself. Israel is brutally attacking Gaza and killing tens of thousands of people,”
he said.
Before meeting with Prime Minister Plenkovic, Saar encountered demonstrations in Zagreb.
How does Croatia's stance on Gaza compare to EU policies?
Croatia's government, under the Prime Minister, Andrej
Plenković, follows most EU's traditional diplomatic language: condemning the
actions of Hamas, affirming Israel's right to self-defense, and condemning
terrorism.
But Croatia voted against a UN general assembly resolution to impose an immediate and sustainable humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza October 2024, noting that the humanitarian assembly resolution did not mention Hamas and prioritized Israel's right to stay secure.
Moreover, President Zoran Milanović has taken a much more strident position against Israel, calling Israel's actions in Gaza "genocide" and questioning why the Croatian government sided so closely with Israel.