President Milanović on Sanctions against Israel: The export of arms from the EU to Israel is not banned because of industrial interests
“The Israeli government continues to massacre people in Gaza, and it will not stop. We cannot prevent this, but what we can do is ban the export of any lethal weapons from Europe to Israel. Why is this not happening? Because there are certain industrial circles in Europe that are struggling with car production but are thriving on the production of shells and bullets. That may be acceptable—but not for exporting them to Israel,” said the President of the Republic Zoran Milanović, commenting on proposals for sanctions against Israel over the war in Gaza.
In his view, sanctions on arms exports to Israel should have been in place years ago, stressing that Europe, including Croatia, has both a moral and political obligation to respond to the war in Gaza.
President Milanović also underlined the reputational importance of how Croatian representatives vote in the European Parliament. “For Croatia, this is a matter of honour, and it is not irrelevant how our MEPs vote. They represent Croatia, they return to Croatia, and they are accountable here,” he said, criticizing the way Croatian MEPs voted on an amendment calling for an arms embargo on Israel. “I don’t want to believe that Prime Minister Plenković allowed his people in the European Parliament to vote against an arms embargo on Israel. The entire HDZ group and the DP voted against it, while the SDP abstained. As a citizen of Croatia and as President, I would like to hear their reasons for doing so. Why Gordan Bosanac voted in favour is clear to me—because that is how every normal person should vote,” he said.
On sanctions against Israel more broadly, he repeated his view that sanctions on Israeli athletes were a mistake. “But sanctions on arms exports from Europe to Israel—those should have been in place for years.” He stressed that sanctions should target the current Israeli government, not the people as a whole. “An entire people cannot be the target. The Jewish people cannot be made to pay the price for this. In the end, they will decide for themselves what they want, and they will be responsible for the consequences of their choices and for whom they elect,” President Milanović said.
“We will not hate Israelis, but we will hold their politicians and those responsible for the violence and bloodshed in Gaza to account,” he added.
President Milanović announced that Palestine would also be one of the topics he raises in his upcoming address to the United Nations General Assembly in New York. “The UN cannot do much either, as there are many obstacles, but these are issues that must be spoken about, because this is a question of humanity in the 21st century. As a nation that has itself been mistreated in many ways, Croats have a special moral responsibility to speak out about such matters and to raise the alarm. I see that as my mission, and I will speak about it in New York,” the President said.
He concluded by stressing that he would neither remain silent nor downplay the importance of this issue: “In New York, I will speak in the way I believe the Croatian people have given me the mandate to speak. Everything I am saying now, I said two years ago—the first in Europe. I said it during the campaign, and I am still saying it now. It is my human and moral duty, however worn down or devalued that term may be today,” President Milanović concluded.