\u201cThe 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\u2014but not for exporting them to Israel,\u201d said the President of the Republic Zoran Milanovi\u0107, commenting on proposals for sanctions against Israel over the war in Gaza.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
President Milanovi\u0107 also underlined the reputational importance of how Croatian representatives vote in the European Parliament. \u201cFor 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,\u201d he said, criticizing the way Croatian MEPs voted on an amendment calling for an arms embargo on Israel. \u201cI don\u2019t want to believe that Prime Minister Plenkovi\u0107 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\u2014because that is how every normal person should vote,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On sanctions against Israel more broadly, he repeated his view that sanctions on Israeli athletes were a mistake. \u201cBut sanctions on arms exports from Europe to Israel\u2014those should have been in place for years.\u201d He stressed that sanctions should target the current Israeli government, not the people as a whole. \u201cAn 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,\u201d President Milanovi\u0107 said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe will not hate Israelis, but we will hold their politicians and those responsible for the violence and bloodshed in Gaza to account,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
President Milanovi\u0107 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. \u201cThe 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<\/sup> 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,\u201d the President said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He concluded by stressing that he would neither remain silent nor downplay the importance of this issue: \u201cIn 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\u2014the 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,\u201d President Milanovi\u0107 concluded.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u201cThe 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\u2014but not for exporting them to Israel,\u201d said the President of the Republic Zoran Milanovi\u0107, commenting on proposals for sanctions against Israel over the war in Gaza.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":39591,"template":"","news-cat":[12],"class_list":["post-39592","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","news-cat-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n