Bosnian Serbs strengthen ties with Israel amid tensions

Opening of Israeli commerce office in Banja Luka deepens ties between Republika Srpska and Israel, raising concerns about Bosnia’s wider political implications.

Israeli Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina and Albania Galit Peleg, left, Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli, centre, and Milorad Dodik attend the inauguration of the Israel Chamber of Commerce representative office in Banja Luka, Republika Srpska [X/@MiloradDodik]

The Israeli Chamber of Commerce last week opened an office in Banja Luka, the seat of government of the Bosnia and Herzegovina entity of Republika Srpska, in a move officials said would “further strengthen” the two sides’ ties.

The opening comes when Israel faces growing international criticism due to its genocidal war against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, including by the Sarajevo-based Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the other main political entity within Bosnia.

But in Republika Srpska, Israel has enjoyed strong support since the start of the war on Gaza in October 2023. Milorad Dodik, the entity’s former president and effective leader, has frequently expressed pro-Israeli views positioning Republika Srpska as a key ally of Israel in the Balkans.

Following the outbreak of the Gaza war, Dodik said that Republika Srpska fully supports Israel’s right to self-defence, while the Palace of the Republic in Banja Luka was illuminated with the colours of the Israeli flag.

Dodik, who last year was stripped of his post and banned from holding political office for six years. That was after being convicted for refusing to comply with the decisions by the international envoy overseeing the peace deal that ended Bosnia’s 1990s war. He has opposed initiatives for the international recognition of Palestine. In August 2025, he said “a state that does not exist in reality cannot be lawfully recognised”.

Speaking at the opening ceremony in Banja Luka on Thursday, Dodik highlighted the political and historical ties between the Serb and Jewish people and what he described as their similar “suffering”.

“We have shown that we can, under impossible conditions and in an environment that is historically speaking hostile, preserve our identity and our holy word, which is freedom,” said Dodik.

Israel’s Ambassador in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Galit Peleg, said the office in Banja Luka is aimed at connecting businesses and to promote “investment cooperation“ between the two sides, without offering details.

“At a time of protests and threats in Sarajevo, the Office of President Milorad Dodik offered us a beautiful building in Banja Luka,” Geleg said at the ceremony, referring to the pro-Palestine demonstrations in Bosnia during the war on Gaza.

Dodik said Republika Srpska will create a support programme for new technologies from Israel, without disclosing details. Similarly, Republika Srpska authorities have touted the possibility of a significant Israeli investment, without providing any information.

The office’s president is Amir Gross Kabiri, an Israeli businessman, industrialist and investor who in recent years has become one of the most prominent figures in Bosnia’s economic and political life. He became known to the country’s wider public after his company, a subsidiary of the M.T. Abraham Group, an international conglomerate and investment group, signed a contract in 2020 to lease the facilities of the collapsed Mostar aluminium giant Aluminij.

After signing the agreement on the office opening, Ana Trisic Babic, the acting director of the Office for International Cooperation of the Republic of Srpska, said the entity and Israel “have long nurtured friendly relations”, which she linked to “the historical experiences of the two peoples and the challenges they face”.

She added that the authorities of Republic of Srpska view Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s support for the opening of the office as a confirmation of those relations.

Rescued from bankruptcy?

Davor Gjenero, a Zagreb-based analyst with extensive knowledge of political affairs in the Western Balkans, said the office opening will give Republika Srpska’s authorities an opportunity to alleviate the entity’s significant financial problems, including rising debt.

He said Republika Srpska “is facing a kind of bankruptcy and any kind of economic activity with Israel can be also part” of its strategy to address the issue.

Gjenero also highlighted the “connection” between the policies of Dodik and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, which he described as a potentially “dangerous” development amid rising tensions in Bosnia.

“This could also be a sign that centrifugal processes are taking place, which could pose a serious threat to the unity and sovereignty of Bosnia and Herzegovina,” he said.

Gjenero argued that the cooperation between the Republika Srpska and Israel, along with the growing cooperation between Serbia and Israel – particularly in the military sector – could further increase tensions in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

He said “any activity” by the Republic of Srpska “without coordination with Sarajevo can be a serious problem for Bosnia and Herzegovina in its dialogue with the European Union”, as the country seeks EU membership.

“Also, any kind of making Dodik stronger is dangerous for relations between Sarajevo and Banja Luka and internal relations in Bosnia and Herzegovina.”

以色列商务办事处在巴尼亚卢卡的开设加深了塞族共和国与以色列之间的联系，引发了人们对波斯尼亚更广泛政治影响的担忧。

以色列驻波斯尼亚和黑塞哥维那和阿尔巴尼亚大使 Galit Peleg（左）、侨民事务部长 Amichai Chikli（中）和 Milorad Dodik 出席以色列商会在斯普斯卡共和国巴尼亚卢卡代表处的落成典礼 [X/@MiloradDodik]

上周，以色列商会在波斯尼亚和黑塞哥维那塞族共和国政府所在地巴尼亚卢卡开设了办事处。官员们表示，此举将“进一步加强”双方的关系。

以色列正因其在加沙地带对巴勒斯坦人发动种族灭绝战争而面临日益增长的国际批评，其中包括总部位于萨拉热窝的波斯尼亚和黑塞哥维那联邦（波斯尼亚境内的另一个主要政治实体）的批评。

但自 2023 年 10 月加沙战争爆发以来，以色列在塞族共和国一直享有强大的支持。该共和国前总统兼实际领导人米洛拉德·多迪克经常发表亲以色列的言论，使塞族共和国成为以色列在巴尔干地区的重要盟友。

加沙战争爆发后，多迪克表示，塞族共和国完全支持以色列的自卫权，而巴尼亚卢卡的共和国宫则亮起了以色列国旗的颜色。

多迪克去年被剥夺职务，并被禁止担任任何政治职务六年。此前，他因拒绝遵守负责监督结束波斯尼亚1990年代战争的和平协议的国际特使的决定而被定罪。他一直反对国际社会承认巴勒斯坦的倡议。2025年8月，他曾表示“一个实际上并不存在的国家不能被合法承认”。

多迪克周四在巴尼亚卢卡举行的开幕式上发表讲话，强调了塞尔维亚人和犹太人之间的政治和历史联系，以及他所说的他们相似的“苦难”。

“我们已经证明，即使在不可能的条件下，在历史上充满敌意的环境中，我们也能捍卫我们的身份和我们神圣的信仰，那就是自由，”多迪克说。

以色列驻波斯尼亚和黑塞哥维那大使加利特·佩莱格表示，在巴尼亚卢卡设立办事处的目的是为了连接企业，促进双方之间的“投资合作”，但他没有提供细节。

“在萨拉热窝发生抗议和威胁之际，米洛拉德·多迪克总统办公室向我们提供了巴尼亚卢卡的一栋漂亮的建筑，”格莱格在仪式上说道，他指的是加沙战争期间波斯尼亚发生的亲巴勒斯坦示威活动。

多迪克表示，塞族共和国将设立一项扶持以色列新技术的项目，但未透露具体细节。同样，塞族共和国当局也曾大力宣传以色列可能进行重大投资，但同样未提供任何信息。

该办公室主席是阿米尔·格罗斯·卡比里，他是一位以色列商人、实业家和投资者，近年来已成为波斯尼亚经济和政治生活中最杰出的人物之一。2020年，他的公司——MT Abraham集团的子公司，一家国际企业集团和投资集团——签署了一份租赁合同，租用了倒闭的莫斯塔尔铝业巨头Aluminij的设施，此后他开始为波斯尼亚公众所熟知。

在签署关于开设办事处的协议后，塞族共和国国际合作办公室代理主任安娜·特里西奇·巴比奇表示，该实体和以色列“长期以来一直保持着友好关系”，她将此与“两国人民的历史经验和他们面临的挑战”联系起来。

她补充说，塞族共和国当局认为以色列总理本雅明·内塔尼亚胡支持开设办事处是对两国关系的肯定。

摆脱破产困境？

常驻萨格勒布的分析师达沃尔·杰内罗对西巴尔干地区的政治事务有着广泛的了解，他表示，该办事处的开设将使塞族共和国当局有机会缓解该实体严重的财政问题，包括不断增长的债务。

他表示，塞族共和国“正面临某种程度的破产，与以色列的任何经济活动都可以成为”其解决这一问题的战略的一部分。

杰内罗还强调了多迪克和塞尔维亚总统亚历山大·武契奇的政策之间的“联系”，他称在波斯尼亚局势日益紧张的情况下，这可能是一个“危险的”发展趋势。

“这也可能表明离心过程正在发生，这可能会对波斯尼亚和黑塞哥维那的统一和主权构成严重威胁，”他说。

杰内罗认为，塞族共和国与以色列之间的合作，以及塞尔维亚与以色列之间日益增长的合作——尤其是在军事领域——可能会进一步加剧波斯尼亚和黑塞哥维那的紧张局势。

他表示，斯普斯卡共和国“任何未经萨拉热窝协调的活动”都可能给波黑与欧盟的对话带来严重问题，因为波黑正在寻求加入欧盟。

“此外，任何增强多迪克势力的行为都会对萨拉热窝和巴尼亚卢卡之间的关系以及波斯尼亚和黑塞哥维那的内部关系构成危险。”