Mohammad Sio
18 May 2026•Update: 18 May 2026
Croatian President Zoran Milanovic has refused for seven months to approve the appointment of Israel’s next ambassador to Croatia because of “the policies of the Israeli government and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu,” according to a report Monday by the Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth.
The newspaper said Israel approved the appointment of Nissan Amdur as ambassador to Croatia in November 2025 and formally requested diplomatic approval from the Croatian presidency, “in line with standard diplomatic procedures.”
However, Milanovic has declined to approve the appointment, leaving the process stalled for seven months.
According to the report, it is the first time in Croatia’s history that a president has withheld approval for the appointment of an ambassador.
Israel’s current ambassador to Croatia, Gary Koren, is expected to end his term later this month and return to Israel.
Because Amdur’s appointment remains blocked, the paper said he will instead travel to Zagreb as charge d’affaires, a position that does not require presidential approval, pending a resolution.
The Croatian president said Monday he ordered the suspension of all cooperation between the Croatian Armed Forces (OSRH) and the Israeli army due to what he described as Israel’s violations of international humanitarian law.
In a statement on social media, Milanovic said that “because of the unacceptable conduct of the Israeli army and the unprecedented violation of all norms of international humanitarian law,” he had already in May last year “ordered the termination of all cooperation between the OSRH and the Israeli army,” covering all members of the Croatian military.
He added that at the same time, he had called on the Croatian government “to halt any form of trade in weapons and military equipment with Israel.”
Milanovic said that in a recent phone call, he directly warned Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic that “any form of military cooperation with Israel would be unacceptable.”
The Israeli army has killed more than 72,700 people, mostly women and children, and injured over 172,700 in a two-year war on the Gaza Strip since October 2023.
Despite a ceasefire that took effect on Oct. 10, 2025, the Israeli army has continued its attacks, killing over 877 people and injuring more than 2,602 others, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
