Former Yugoslavia and Palestine, between solidarity and divisions

More than a year ago, the Israeli invasion of Gaza began. In the countries of the former Yugoslavia, governments and civil society have reacted differently. If governments – with the exception of Slovenia – have all but sided with Israel, civil society organisations have organised protests and demonstrations in favour of Palestine

In Croatia, a cleavage between government and civil society

On 27 October 2023, three weeks after Hamas attacked Israel, the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution calling for a “humanitarian truce” to the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip. Of the 193 UN member countries, 120 voted in favour of the text proposed by Jordan and other Arab countries, 45 abstained and just 14 voted against. Most of the EU member-states abstained from the voting, while France, Spain, Slovenia, Portugal, Ireland and Belgium voted in favour. Croatia and other three EU member-states — Austria, Hungary and the Czech Republic — voted against it. But the Croatian government's position does not reflect the country's. Immediately after the vote, Croatian President Zoran Milanović stated that by voting against the resolution, the government had marked Croatia as "an opponent of peace" and Croatian civil society appears to support a similar position.

“Croatia does what Germany does. Despite the fact that this country has an experience of war, of refugees... our government considers everything that is pro-Palestinian to be anti-Semitic”, explains Emina Bužinkić, activist and researcher at the Institute for Development and International Relations in Zagreb. Together with Nikola Škarić, Emina Bužinkić has recently been acquitted of disorderly conduct charges for projecting the words “Free Palestine” on Israel's embassy building in Zagreb on 5 January 2024. “With the help of a generator, a projector and a laptop computer, we projected the words “Free Palestine” around 10-11 p.m. on one of Zagreb's busiest and brightest avenues. The charge of disturbing the peace seemed absurd to us from the start. Now it remains to be seen whether the Interior Ministry will want to appeal the court's decision”, Emina Bužinkić continues.

Since 2021, the Free Palestine Initiative has organised events, film screenings, debates, protests and fundraisers in Zagreb and other cities in Croatia. In October, a benefit concert raised more than 9,000 Euros for The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA ).

Slovenia recognises Palestine

In May 2024, the Slovenian government approved a decision to recognise an independent Palestinian state, following in the steps of Spain, Norway and the Republic of Ireland. “This is the message of peace”, Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob said. By recognizing the Palestinian state, “we are sending hope to the Palestinian people in the West Bank and Gaza”, he added. Israel immediately condemned Ljubljana's move. “The Slovenian government’s decision to recommend that the Slovenian parliament recognise a Palestinian state rewards Hamas”, tweeted Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz.

While Slovenian Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon has framed the recognition of Palestine’s statehood as a “moral duty”, the position of the country is neither pro-Israel nor pro-Palestinian, as several Slovenian experts explained to Al-Jazeera . “There is no clear political consensus within Slovenia on its policy towards Palestine and Israel”, Slovenian historian Mateja Režek of the Institute of Historical Studies in Ljubljana says. “The liberal, centre-left and left-wing parties, which hold the majority in Parliament, support a two-state solution and the recognition of Palestine, while the right-wing opposition parties oppose these efforts. Furthermore, Slovenia's recognition of Palestine, like its calls for Israel to adhere to international law, remains largely symbolic”, concludes Mateja Režek.

Serbia balances between support for Palestine and Israel

Serbia has traditionally had good relations with both Israel and Palestine. The country condemned the terrorist attack by Hamas on Israel, but also emphasised its opposition to the suffering of the Palestinian people. Belgrade's sympathy for Tel Aviv is attributed to Israel's attitude towards Kosovo and the NATO bombing. In fact, Israel was one of the few countries that until recently did not recognise the unilaterally declared independence of Kosovo, and it also opposed the NATO bombing of Belgrade and other cities in Serbia. On the other hand, connection with the Palestinian people in Serbia dates back to the time of the former Yugoslavia.

Since the beginning of the war in Gaza, several pro-palestinian protests have been held in Serbia. In the latest protests held in Belgrade in October this year under the slogan "freedom to Palestine", Palestinians supporters pointed out that Serbia is complicit in the genocide in Gaza by exporting weapons to Israel: indeed, while officially Belgrade did not support the UN resolution to end Israel’s military presence in Gaza, the export of Serbian weapons to Israel has never stopped. The demonstrators also condemned Israel's attacks on Lebanon, Yemen, Syria and Iran as “an attempt to provoke a wider war and drag Israel's imperialist allies led, by the USA, into this conflict”, according to the Serbia-based Association of Communist Youth of Yugoslavia. A few months earlier, such a protest was banned by the Police and one of the participants was detained. This person was later linked to the political opposition, specifically to a left-wing party in Serbia.

Solidarity with Palestine has stemmed from suffering in the BiH war, but sharp divisions are at work

Political Sarajevo has unequivocally condemned the Israeli shelling of the Gaza Strip. The Bosnian public, especially the Bosnian Muslims, has developed a strong empathy for the Palestinian people, as they saw the similarity of this war to their own recent past.

However, the country does not speak with one voice. The local public, led by the voice of the leaders of BiH constituent nations, is divided along ethnic lines even in the case of the war in Gaza.

Several pro-Palestinian protests held in the country took place in Bosniak-majority cities. However, part of the public stands in solidarity with Israel in this war.

On 9 October 2023, in the western (predominantly Croatian) part of Mostar, fans of the local Croatian football team Zrinjski wore black ribbons on their sleeves during a match, as a sign of solidarity with civilians who died in the Hamas terrorist attack. At the same time, in the other part of the city, a Palestinian flag was flying in the air.

Since the beginning of the Israeli attacks on Gaza, Serbian and Croatian right-wingers have been using the West's negative attitude towards Hamas against Bosniak Muslims, and this is inevitably being transmitted to the public in the country. The representative of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ party) in the European Parliament, Željana Zovko, went so far as to respond to the social-democratic politician Željko Komšić’s support for Palestine by saying that Croats in central Bosnia had experience of ritual killings like those carried out by Hamas in Israel.

Milorad Dodik, president of Republika Srpska, used the war in the Middle East to deal with alleged "terrorist cells" on the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina. MPs close to Dodik sent a letter to the European Parliament and the US Congress in November 2023, warning them that the conflict in the Middle East could potentially activate Al Qaeda and ISIL cells here "if and when the order comes".

Montenegro stands with Palestine

Montenegro’s independence was recognised by Palestine on 24 July 2006, one month after the independence referendum on 21 May 2006. Diplomatic relations were officially established on 1 August 2006, with Montenegro supporting Palestine’s sovereignty claims over the territories occupied in 1967.

After 7 October 2023, and the following escalation of violence in Gaza, several protests were held in Montenegro’s capital. Notably, on 22 October 2023, participants in the “Montenegro for Palestine” protest urged President Jakov Milatović and the Montenegrin government to condemn the genocide in Palestine and impose sanctions on Israel. These protests, primarily organised by students and young people from the Montenegrin-Palestinian Society, were attended by several hundred citizens, often gathering outside the local United Nations office with Palestinian flags. A few days later, on 27 October 2023, Montenegro was among the 120 countries that voted in favour of a UN General Assembly resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire.

From 22 to 24 August 2024, the activist group “Montenegro for Palestine” participated in a meeting of 10 Balkan initiatives advocating for Palestinian liberation, held in Ljubljana, Slovenia, as part of the annual festival and conference “Grounded”. Just days before, on 18 August 2024, another protest took place in Podgorica, Montenegro, to mark the unveiling of a large mural painted by Montenegrin artist Mišo Joškić on the wall of a residential building in Mitra Bakića Street, opposite the bus station in Podgorica, with the inscription “Montenegro stands with Palestine” depicting smiling Palestinian children to symbolise hope and resilience amid Israel’s assault on Gaza.

In Kosovo, a wave of support for Palestine amidst political complexities

The recent global pro-Palestinian movement has deeply resonated in Kosovo, where solidarity marches, protests and poetry readings underscore the shared experiences between Kosovars and Palestinians. Many Kosovars relate to the Palestinian struggle due to their own history of oppression, displacement and settler colonialism. Writers like Palestinian-born academic Ghada Karmi have drawn comparisons between the Israeli-Palestinian and Serbian-Kosovar conflicts. Historical ties also exist, such as Ahmed Hilmi Pasha, the first Palestinian prime minister, being of Albanian descent. However, tensions persist as Palestine does not recognise Kosovo's independence and supported Serbia during the 1998-99 war.

On 7 October 2023, following Hamas’ attack, Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti condemned the violence by officially declaring: “The Republic of Kosova unequivocally condemns today’s terrorist attacks against the State of Israel. Our thoughts are with the people of Israel during this incredibly challenging time”.

Twenty days later, on 27 October 2023, a group of activists gathered at the Termokiss Social Centre in Prishtina to prepare for the first march in solidarity with the Palestinian people, followed by various awareness-raising activities in the weeks that followed. A powerful act of defiance occurred in November, when a large Palestinian flag with the words “Free Palestine” was raised alongside the Ukrainian flag at the Grand Hotel in central Pristina ahead of an EURO 2024 football match between Kosovo and Israel. The match was particularly significant as it marked Israel’s first international appearance since the Gaza genocide began. Although the local police swiftly removed the Palestinian flag amid heightened security measures, its brief appearance symbolised solidarity and further strengthened the resolve of the protesters.

North Macedonia: activism in the absence of official ties

North Macedonia is one of the few countries in Europe without any political or diplomatic relations with Palestine at the governmental level. However, activists, students and intellectuals based in the country have been working to bridge this gap, especially after 7 October.

Following the Israeli government’s brutal response to the attack, several protests in support of the Palestinian people have been held, mainly in front of the Murat Pasha Mosque in Skopje, organised by various associations, including youth-led movements such as “Youth for Palestine” and “UKIMci za Palestina”, which have contributed to the creation of a social platform to coordinate efforts.

In March 2024, Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani condemned the killing of civilians in Gaza , calling for the “protection of civilians and unhindered delivery of humanitarian aid”. Meanwhile, student-led protests have continued throughout the year, condemning injustices, including police brutality against pro-Palestinian activists and university complicity, such as during the conference held in June 2024 on emotions during conflicts when Israeli officials were invited to speak. Creative actions, such as dropping leaflets in shopping malls, have tried to raise awareness and encourage consumer boycotts against brands associated with the genocide.

On 7 October 2024, a significant protest was held in Skopje, promoted by “UKIMci for Palestine” in solidarity with Palestine and Lebanon and critical of the North Macedonian government’s passive stance in the UN context. The following day, the Left party in the Macedonian Assembly submitted a statement advocating for Palestine’s recognition, with spokesperson Amar Mecinović condemning Israel’s actions as systematic colonialism and genocide.

This publication has been produced within the Collaborative and Investigative Journalism Initiative (CIJI ), a project co-funded by the European Commission. The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of Osservatorio Balcani Caucaso Transeuropa and do not reflect the views of the European Union. Go to the project page