ZORAN MILANOVIĆ: We live in a time of barbarism, violence and contempt for international law, Croatia should recognize Palestine!

Croatian President Zoran Milanović stated that no changes in the positions of the state leadership on Israel should be expected from the sessions of the National Security Council (VNS) and the Defense Council, which were proposed by Prime Minister Andrej Plenković.

Milanović said last night in Vela Luka that he agrees with Prime Minister Andrej Plenković that sessions of the VNS and the Defense Council should be held, but also that there is no need to rush.

Plenković requested that the two councils hold sessions on the topics of the war in Ukraine, the situation in the Middle East and energy issues, not excluding a discussion on Serbia’s arming with hypersonic missiles, which has been a topic among Croatian officials in recent days.

“Do not expect any tectonic shifts or changes in positions. If someone believes that Israel is our ally and friend, there is no help for them,” said Milanović.

He described a discussion on that topic “among serious people” as a waste of time. “I am immovable in that stance, as well as in the view that Croatia should have recognized Palestine, which even the United Kingdom has done,” Milanović added.

At the end of February, Milanović said that Israel is pursuing a brutal policy and cannot be a reliable partner for Croatia, criticizing the visit of Defense Minister Ivan Anušić to Israel.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar last week accused Milanović of antisemitism after the Croatian president sharply criticized Israel’s ambassador in Zagreb, Gary Koren, who called on Croatia to sever diplomatic relations with Iran and conduct a security check of the staff of the Iranian Embassy in Zagreb, as there could be a member of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard there.

Because of those statements, Ambassador Koren was summoned to Pantovčak, where he was warned about “unacceptable and harmful” remarks that “disturb the public and harm Croatia.”

That the chances of reaching consensus on several issues between Pantovčak and Banski dvori are small was also stated by Plenković himself yesterday, Hina reports.

MILANOVIĆ: Postoje ljudi koji ubijaju, gaze i pale bez posljedica. Ako im se suprotstaviš. Odmah si proglašen antisemitom.

To je politika ucjene.
Poruka je jasna: oni smiju sve, drugi ništa.
A kad narodi izgube moral dolazi kazna.

Sirija je već razorena.
Sada je na redu Iran.… pic.twitter.com/z9ojFx1h30
— Dominik Alpeza (@alpezad) March 16, 2026

“We will send an initiative to convene the sessions because we believe there are too many topics we can at least discuss. Obviously, we will not agree on anything because we have a President of the Republic who for all these years has pursued a pro-Russian, anti-Ukrainian, anti-NATO policy, anti-EU policy, and recently has embarked on an anti-Israeli policy,” Plenković said.

On Sunday, Milanović commented on claims by journalists who said that in circles close to the government it is being said that Croatia does not want to upset Israel in order to ease its entry into the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), saying that he did not even know Israel was in that organization, but that it is “terrible.”

Milanović called OECD membership secondary for Croatia, but something that is “personally very important for Plenković.”

“There, votes are cast by Israel and the United States and Hungary. One vote is enough to block you, but the ambition to enter the OECD cannot be paid at such a high price,” Milanović said.

He emphasized that the issue of Israel should be addressed more seriously, but that there is no way for him to convince anyone otherwise and that it certainly will not change.

He stressed that Israel belongs among the states that “should no longer be considered at all” and added that a significant majority of people in Croatia think so as well. “And why Plenković and his associates do not see that, I do not know,” he said.

Banski dvori and Pantovčak clashed last year, among other things, over the recognition of Palestine, in a year when Israel and Hamas reached a fragile truce that halted the Israeli offensive on the devastated Palestinian enclave.

Milanović did not refrain from criticizing Israel at the time, saying it “pursues a criminal policy,” and he described the war in Gaza as a “massacre.” The government rejected Milanović’s proposal to recognize Palestine, explaining that it would be possible when conditions are met and an agreement between the two sides is reached.

We live in years of barbarism, trampling and contempt for international law

Croatian President Zoran Milanović said that the times are terrible and that “we live in weeks and years of violence, barbarism, trampling and contempt for international law and norms, and this by those who know best how to invoke them.”

“The times are terrible. Croatia in these times, perhaps for the first time in history, enjoys the benefit of position, the fortune of being in a relatively calm and safe place,” Milanović said last night at the ceremonial session of the Municipal Council of Vela Luka.

Milanović said that today Croatia should look after its own interest, take care of itself first and not allow itself to be misled by any grand phrases and slogans about solidarity with anyone, about helping this or that. “To ensure that you do not betray certain fundamental human principles, principles and foundations — that should be the guiding thread for Croatia,” Milanović said.

“Croatia, as rarely in history, has the opportunity to look after itself, its own business, and to make decisions exclusively from that perspective. And to hope that this storm, and this time of evil, will pass, that better times will come and calmer and more reasonable moments. Until then, let us stick together,” Milanović said, Hina reported.