Croatian President Rejects Meeting with “Israeli” FM over Gaza Genocide

By Staff, Agencies

Croatian President Zoran Milanovic has refused to meet with the “Israeli” entity’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar during his official visit to Zagreb, citing the regime’s ongoing genocidal war against the people of Gaza.

In a statement on social media Tuesday, Milanovic questioned why Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, Foreign Minister Gordan Grlic Radman, and Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandrokovic agreed to host Saar.

He condemned the invitation as “unacceptable” while “Israel” continues its campaign of violence and mass displacement in Gaza.

Milanovic stressed that meeting with an “Israeli” official under current conditions “would mean supporting ‘Israel’s’ policy of violence, ethnic cleansing and war crimes”.

He also faulted the Croatian government for aligning with “Israeli” leaders instead of taking steps toward recognizing the State of Palestine.

The president further rejected comparisons between Croatia’s 1990s war of independence and “Israel’s” onslaught on Gaza, calling such parallels “a huge mistake”.

He explained that Croatia defended itself at the time, whereas “Israel” is “brutally attacking Gaza and killing tens of thousands of people”.

Opposition figures from the Mozemo! [We Can!] party echoed his stance. MP Sandra Bencic accused Plenkovic of siding with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, saying: “With today’s act, Andrej Plenkovic has aligned his government with that of Netanyahu, providing an alibi for the deliberate starvation of civilians and children in Gaza. The Croatian people will never support such actions”.

Saar’s arrival in Zagreb was met with street protests ahead of his scheduled meeting with the prime minister, as demonstrations denounced “Israel’s” genocidal war on Gaza.

“Israel” unleashed its brutal Gaza onslaught on October 7, 2023, following the historic Hamas operation against the occupying entity in retaliation for escalating atrocities against Palestinians.

On August 8, the “Israeli” security cabinet approved an illegal plan to occupy Gaza City and intensify ground operations.

In recent weeks, “Israeli” forces have stepped up airstrikes and ground assaults, ordering residents of Gaza City to flee in preparation for a massive offensive. Since the war began nearly two years ago, “Israel” has killed at least 64,500 Palestinians—most of them women and children—and wounded over 163,000 others.