Bosnian Serbs strengthen ties with Israel amid tensions

The Israeli Chamber of Commerce past week opened an bureau successful Banja Luka, the spot of authorities of the Bosnia and Herzegovina entity of Republika Srpska, successful a determination officials said would “further strengthen” the 2 sides’ ties.

The opening comes erstwhile Israel faces increasing planetary disapproval owed to its genocidal warfare against Palestinians successful the Gaza Strip, including by the Sarajevo-based Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the different main governmental entity wrong Bosnia.

But successful Republika Srpska, Israel has enjoyed beardown enactment since the commencement of the warfare connected Gaza successful October 2023. Milorad Dodik, the entity’s erstwhile president and effectual leader, has often expressed pro-Israeli views positioning Republika Srpska arsenic a cardinal state of Israel successful the Balkans.

Following the outbreak of the Gaza war, Dodik said that Republika Srpska afloat supports Israel’s close to self-defence, portion the Palace of the Republic successful Banja Luka was illuminated with the colours of the Israeli flag.

Dodik, who past twelvemonth was stripped of his station and banned from holding governmental bureau for six years. That was aft being convicted for refusing to comply with the decisions by the planetary envoy overseeing the bid woody that ended Bosnia’s 1990s war. He has opposed initiatives for the planetary designation of Palestine. In August 2025, helium said “a authorities that does not beryllium successful world cannot beryllium lawfully recognised”.

Speaking astatine the opening ceremonial successful Banja Luka connected Thursday, Dodik highlighted the governmental and humanities ties betwixt the Serb and Jewish radical and what helium described arsenic their akin “suffering”.

“We person shown that we can, nether intolerable conditions and successful an situation that is historically speaking hostile, sphere our individuality and our beatified word, which is freedom,” said Dodik.

Israel’s Ambassador successful Bosnia and Herzegovina, Galit Peleg, said the bureau successful Banja Luka is aimed astatine connecting businesses and to beforehand “investment cooperation“ betwixt the 2 sides, without offering details.

“At a clip of protests and threats successful Sarajevo, the Office of President Milorad Dodik offered america a beauteous gathering successful Banja Luka,” Geleg said astatine the ceremony, referring to the pro-Palestine demonstrations successful Bosnia during the warfare connected Gaza.

Dodik said Republika Srpska volition make a enactment programme for caller technologies from Israel, without disclosing details. Similarly, Republika Srpska authorities person touted the anticipation of a important Israeli investment, without providing immoderate information.

The office’s president is Amir Gross Kabiri, an Israeli businessman, industrialist and capitalist who successful caller years has go 1 of the astir salient figures successful Bosnia’s economical and governmental life. He became known to the country’s wider nationalist aft his company, a subsidiary of the M.T. Abraham Group, an planetary conglomerate and concern group, signed a declaration successful 2020 to lease the facilities of the collapsed Mostar aluminium elephantine Aluminij.

After signing the statement connected the bureau opening, Ana Trisic Babic, the acting manager of the Office for International Cooperation of the Republic of Srpska, said the entity and Israel “have agelong nurtured affable relations”, which she linked to “the humanities experiences of the 2 peoples and the challenges they face”.

She added that the authorities of Republic of Srpska presumption Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s enactment for the opening of the bureau arsenic a confirmation of those relations.

Rescued from bankruptcy?

Davor Gjenero, a Zagreb-based expert with extended cognition of governmental affairs successful the Western Balkans, said the bureau opening volition springiness Republika Srpska’s authorities an accidental to alleviate the entity’s important fiscal problems, including rising debt.

He said Republika Srpska “is facing a benignant of bankruptcy and immoderate benignant of economical enactment with Israel tin beryllium besides part” of its strategy to code the issue.

Gjenero besides highlighted the “connection” betwixt the policies of Dodik and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, which helium described arsenic a perchance “dangerous” improvement amid rising tensions successful Bosnia.

“This could besides beryllium a motion that centrifugal processes are taking place, which could airs a superior menace to the unity and sovereignty of Bosnia and Herzegovina,” helium said.

Gjenero argued that the practice betwixt the Republika Srpska and Israel, on with the increasing practice betwixt Serbia and Israel – peculiarly successful the subject assemblage – could further summation tensions successful Bosnia and Herzegovina.

He said “any activity” by the Republic of Srpska “without coordination with Sarajevo tin beryllium a superior occupation for Bosnia and Herzegovina successful its dialog with the European Union”, arsenic the state seeks EU membership.

“Also, immoderate benignant of making Dodik stronger is unsafe for relations betwixt Sarajevo and Banja Luka and interior relations successful Bosnia and Herzegovina.”