Historical overview (1948 - 2023)

Israel's Diplomatic Relations with

Croatia
and Yugoslavia
Table of contents

01 Yugoslavia recongnizing Israel

02 Israel and Yugoslavia Relations (1948-1990)

03 History of Jews in Croatia

04 Israel recognizing Croatia

05 Israel and Croatia Relations (1990 - today)

06 Current situation (starting from Oct 7th, 2023)

 01
Yugoslavia
recognizing Israel
Yugoslavia recognizing Israel

- recognition on May 19th, 1948

- Yugoslavia was a member of the UN Special

Committee on Palestine -> advocated for bi-
national one state solution

- helping Jewish imigrants immediately after the war

- majority of Jews from YU moved to Israel

 02
Israel and
Yugoslavia
Relations (1948-
1990)
 Israel and Yugoslavia
Relations (1948-1990)
- initially positive relations – became negative because of
the Arab Israeli conflict
- bilateral relations cancelled after the 1967 war
- Yugoslavia crucial during the 1948 war

- informally cultural and commercial exchange was

prominent

- reestablishing relations abolished – Bosniaks vetoed it,

Croatians on the pro-Israeli side
- formal diplomatic relations restored in 1992

- memorial places for victims of WW2

03
History of Jews
in Croatia
History of Jews
in Croatia
- firstly came in the Roman era (monuments)
- increase after 1492 banishment from Spain and
Portugal (Sephardic Jews)

- before WW2 -> 25 000 Jews

 murdered or fled
- today -> 500 Jews
 04
Israel recognizing
Croatia
 Israel recognizing Croatia

- recognition on April 16th, 1992

- full diplomatic relations – April 9th, 1997
 Tuđman minimazing the number of murdered Jews during the
WW2
 diplomatic relations after the formal apology by Ustaše crimes,
and many more after that

- Croatian embassy in Tel Aviv, a couple of honorary consulates

- Israeli embasyy in Zagreb
- Croatia doesn’t recognized the State of Palestine
 05
Israel and Croatia
Relations (1990 -
Today)
Israel and Croatia Relations
(1990-present)
- mostly cordial and highly cooperative relations
- intesified in terms of defense and security

- Croatia is Israel’s ally in the EU

- both countries members of international
organizations (UN, IMF, WB and WTO)

- Croatian-Israeli Society (May 5th, 1994) – culture,

heritage and traditions

- strong intelectual community: Branko Lustig

(Schindler’s List), Slavko and Ivo Goldstein
 06
Current situation
(starting from Oct 7th,
2023)
 Current Situation (starting from Oct 7th, 2023)

- Croatian government and president have differing views on war

PRESIDENT ZORAN MILANOVIĆ – part of SDP party

”I will not remain silent in this situation. We have no complexes, nor did we persecute the Jews in
the Second World War, so that now I have to suffer every move by the Israeli government
without any responsibility, and that from the perspective of a Croatian people who were mistreated
for everything. We are not descendants of Nazis, we are descendants of anti-fascists. I have no
complexes, if the Germans or Austrians have them - let them heal them, let them hang other
people's flags, we will not. We have enough sense and self-respect to know where we stand and to
distinguish good from bad, and right now, bad things are happening there.”

PRIME MINISTER ANDREJ PLENKOVIĆ – member of HDZ party

”With respect to our position on the brutal terrorist attack against civilians by Hamas on Israel, we
strongly condemn it. Israel has every right to defend itself and that’s why I am expressing
solidarity with Israel. In doing this, Israel must abide by the principles of humanitarian law.”
 The End!

Thank you for your attention