{"id":39483,"date":"2025-09-16T14:48:58","date_gmt":"2025-09-16T12:48:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.predsjednik.hr\/?post_type=news&p=39483"},"modified":"2025-09-16T14:48:59","modified_gmt":"2025-09-16T12:48:59","slug":"president-milanovic-the-israeli-leadership-is-responsible-for-the-bestial-war-crimes-it-is-deliberately-and-systematically-committing-in-gaza","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.predsjednik.hr\/en\/news\/president-milanovic-the-israeli-leadership-is-responsible-for-the-bestial-war-crimes-it-is-deliberately-and-systematically-committing-in-gaza\/","title":{"rendered":"President Milanovi\u0107: The Israeli leadership is responsible for the bestial war crimes it is deliberately and systematically committing in Gaza"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u201cThe Palestinians have the right to their own state, and Croatia should recognize it\u2014indeed, it should have done so already. Recognition of Palestine will have to be decided by the Croatian Parliament, not the Government. If it happens, I want it to be the Croatian Parliament that recognizes it\u2014and that can only occur on the proposal of the Government. A few days ago, there was a vote at the UN, where Croatia finally\u2014moving from its previous position of opposing a ceasefire two years ago\u2014has come to understand and accept that a two-state solution is the only viable solution. As for Hamas, we will see; it will probably disappear,\u201d said President Zoran Milanovi\u0107 in response to a journalist\u2019s question about whether Croatia is closer to recognizing Palestine after his meeting with President of the Swiss Confederation Karin Keller-Sutter, who is on an official visit to Croatia today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also commented on the report from the UN investigative commission that concluded genocide has been committed in Gaza. \u201cMany people believe there is genocide in Gaza. I am conservative in my interpretation of true genocide. Genocide certainly includes the Holocaust against the Jewish people in Europe during World War II, and what happened in Rwanda. Extending that term to every horrific war crime carries its risks. I am not an advocate of that. Nevertheless, Israel and its leadership are fully responsible for the bestial war crimes they are carrying out in Gaza in a deliberate, premeditated, and systematic manner,\u201d said President Milanovi\u0107, recalling that in 2023, after the Irish Prime Minister, he was the first\u2014and for several weeks the only\u2014world leader to say that \u201cIsrael has begun committing terrible acts, and that it will no longer have my tolerance or sympathy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLook at where we are now. I have the right and duty to be equally strict with everyone, especially since Croats have often been scrutinized through a fine-tooth comb, and every move was measured a hundred times. This principle applies to everyone; no one has a special status, neither Croats nor Israelis,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking about Israel, President Milanovi\u0107 criticized the proposal by the Spanish Prime Minister to exclude Israeli athletes from international competitions. \u201cI consider this completely wrong; it should not be supported and should not happen. Athletes should not be punished in this way. Politics is conducted differently\u2014not at the expense of young men and women who are literally bleeding for these results and may lose their chance to compete in four years,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On current geopolitical topics, including trade policy and tariffs, President Milanovi\u0107 highlighted the problem of high tariffs imposed by the United States on Swiss and European products. \u201cThe European Union has taken an incomprehensibly soft stance here. But that agreement is not yet legally binding, and I don\u2019t think it ever will be, because there is no reason for the EU to accept any treatment other than what any negotiating partner imposes on it. So, the same for them, the same for us. If the EU cannot handle this, it is better not to engage. After all, this is the foundation of our cooperation, our existence\u2014common trade policy and customs,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCroatia and Switzerland have had untroubled and friendly relations from the very beginning. Switzerland is a small economic power, which, like Europe, is currently in talks with the United States on a trade agreement\u2014but we did not discuss that. This is an internal matter of Croatia and Switzerland. We discussed global issues to the extent that Croatia and Switzerland can influence them, which is very little. But these are issues that one must at least engage with intellectually, take an interest in, and have a position on, so that you know how to act\u2014because one day all of this will be measured, discussed, and remembered. We discussed global issues ranging from finance to global security,\u201d said President Milanovi\u0107 about his meeting with President Keller-Sutter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur two countries are small, but we are connected by friendship. In Switzerland, we have a very important Croatian diaspora, as well as thousands of people of Croatian descent who are now Swiss citizens and contribute significantly to Switzerland\u2019s prosperity. They are truly integrated. We discussed the geopolitical situation in general. Regarding Ukraine, Switzerland has offered good services. Many EU countries hope that peace talks will be held in Switzerland, but such talks require all parties, which is not currently possible. Switzerland is ready,\u201d said President Keller-Sutter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She also spoke about the problem of tariffs imposed by the U.S. on Switzerland and the EU. \u201cWe discussed the economic situation, particularly the 15 percent tariffs imposed on the EU, of which Croatia is a member, by the United States. Switzerland faced a 39 percent rate, and we are traditionally an export-oriented country. I told President Milanovi\u0107 that we are continuing discussions with the U.S. administration to find a solution,\u201d explained the President of the Swiss Confederation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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PHOTO: Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia \/ Tomislav Bu\u0161ljeta i Ana Marija Kati\u0107<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cThe Palestinians have the right to their own state, and Croatia should recognize it\u2014indeed, it should have done so already. Recognition of Palestine will have to be decided by the Croatian Parliament, not the Government. If it happens, I want it to be the Croatian Parliament that recognizes it\u2014and that can only occur on the proposal of the Government. A few days ago, there was a vote at the UN, where Croatia finally\u2014moving from its previous position of opposing a ceasefire two years ago\u2014has come to understand and accept that a two-state solution is the only viable solution. As for Hamas, we will see; it will probably disappear,\u201d said President Zoran Milanovi\u0107 in response to a journalist\u2019s question about whether Croatia is closer to recognizing Palestine after his meeting with President of the Swiss Confederation Karin Keller-Sutter, who is on an official visit to Croatia today.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":39459,"template":"","news-cat":[12],"class_list":["post-39483","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","news-cat-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nPresident Milanovi\u0107: The Israeli leadership is responsible for the bestial war crimes it is deliberately and systematically committing in Gaza - President of the Republic of Croatia - Zoran Milanovi\u0107<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.predsjednik.hr\/en\/news\/president-milanovic-the-israeli-leadership-is-responsible-for-the-bestial-war-crimes-it-is-deliberately-and-systematically-committing-in-gaza\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"President Milanovi\u0107: The Israeli leadership is responsible for the bestial war crimes it is deliberately and systematically committing in Gaza - President of the Republic of Croatia - Zoran Milanovi\u0107\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"\u201cThe Palestinians have the right to their own state, and Croatia should recognize it\u2014indeed, it should have done so already. Recognition of Palestine will have to be decided by the Croatian Parliament, not the Government. If it happens, I want it to be the Croatian Parliament that recognizes it\u2014and that can only occur on the proposal of the Government. A few days ago, there was a vote at the UN, where Croatia finally\u2014moving from its previous position of opposing a ceasefire two years ago\u2014has come to understand and accept that a two-state solution is the only viable solution. 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