‘Each country goes its own way’: How Balkan politics shape ties with Israel

Throughout Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, Europe’s position has, to an extent, been aligned.Outliers such as Spain and the Republic of Ireland have long been more vocal in condemning Israel, but overall, the shift from unconditional solidarity with Israel to concern over its conduct has taken hold in much of the continent.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Photos: Thousands march across Europe to demand end to Israel’s war on Gazalist 2 of 4‘Kosovo’s moves towards Israel are the price of aligning with US policy’list 3 of 4How genocide in Gaza followed Bosnia’s painful patternlist 4 of 4What were Trump operatives doing for pro-Russian politician Dodik in Bosnia?end of listAcross the Balkans, divergent policies towards Israel reflect domestic calculations, transactional diplomacy, and unresolved identity politics rather than a shared vision for the Middle East, according to experts.“The Balkan countries have almost no common positions at all, and so it’s not surprising their positions towards Israel and Gaza are all over the map,” Marko Prelec, analyst at the International Crisis Group, told Al Jazeera. “Each country goes its own way.”Prelec noted that while there is genu...