Croatia's Leader Refuses to Accept Israel's New Ambassador

(MENAFN) Croatian President Zoran Milanovic has flatly refused to grant approval for Israel's incoming ambassador to Zagreb, citing deep objections to the conduct of the current Israeli government, the presidential office confirmed Monday.

The office issued a pointed statement: "The proposed Ambassador of the State of Israel has not received, nor will he receive, the consent of the President of the Republic Zoran Milanovic due to the policies pursued by the current Israeli authorities."

The presidency further accused Israel of breaching established diplomatic protocol by publicly naming its ambassador-designate before receiving presidential clearance. "Public or political pressure, in this case from the Israeli side, will not alter the President of the Republic's decision," the statement read.

The tenure of Israel's sitting ambassador to Zagreb, Gary Koren, concludes at the end of May. His designated successor, Israeli diplomat Nisan Amdor — selected by West Jerusalem last year — will enter Croatia next month in the capacity of chargé d'affaires, a role that bypasses the requirement for presidential endorsement, an Israeli news website reported Monday.

The standoff follows months of escalating friction between Milanovic and Koren. The Croatian president summoned the Israeli envoy after Koren publicly suggested that Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) may be running intelligence operations out of the Iranian Embassy in Zagreb. "We don't want other people's infections and germs in Croatia, neither Iranian nor Israeli," Milanovic declared in March in the aftermath of the dispute.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar fired back, accusing the president of deploying "hate-filled language about Israel and Zionism."

Milanovic has maintained a sustained and unsparing critique of the Israeli government, charging it with committing "bestial war crimes" through its military campaign in Gaza. Authorities in the enclave report that the war has claimed nearly 73,000 Palestinian lives since it erupted in October 2023, when Hamas launched an assault on Israel that killed approximately 1,200 people and resulted in more than 250 being taken hostage.

Moscow has also condemned the Israeli blockade and aerial bombardment of the Palestinian enclave, drawing a parallel to collective punishment directed at both Hamas and the civilian population at large. Russian President Vladimir Putin has maintained that a two-state solution remains the only viable path out of the crisis.

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