by Andrea Cantelmo –
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has always been extraordinarily divisive for world leaders as well as for public opinion. The Hamas attack, which took place last October 7, has turned the media spotlight back on a war that has been going on for decades and has sparked demonstrations of support for one or the other side in every part of the globe and among the most fiery, outside the Arab world, they occurred in the Balkans and in the countries of central and eastern Europe. Reactions that could also have repercussions for the future positions taken by the various governments involved.
In Greece, various political parties, extra-parliamentary organizations and Palestinian residents of the Hellenic state organized a demonstration of solidarity for Palestine last night which ended in front of the Israeli embassy. The 15 organizing entities, in a joint statement, declared that “there will be no peace without justice” and that Greece “must not cooperate with the terrorists of the State of Israel”. The Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, reiterated Athens’ support for “Israel’s right to defend itself”, however “an organized state – he underlined – must not adopt the same rules of engagement as terrorists”. Finally, according to the prime minister, it is necessary for the European Union to be united on a crucial issue like this.
In Bosnia and Herzegovina, several hundred people took to the streets of Sarajevo on Thursday evening to express their support for the Palestinians. The demonstration was promoted by the organization “Friends of the State of Palestine” which condemned the violence suffered by civilians in the Gaza Strip. The Bosnian leadership was split internally with the majority condemning the violence on both sides, while the representative of the Serbs in Bosnia, Milorad Dodik, criticized the actions of Hamas, arguing that Israel has the full right to respond to the attacks he has suffered.
In Kosovo, however, the population and the political leadership seem to have clearly chosen a side: with the State of Israel. A candlelight vigil was held on Thursday evening to remember the victims of the Hamas attack. The US ambassador to Pristina attended the event and stated that “the US unequivocally condemns these cowardly attacks. There is no justification for terrorism. Full solidarity with Israel.” Prime Minister Albin Kurti wrote in X: “I express the utmost concern about the crimes committed against Israeli civilians. We support Israel’s right to defend itself and we join in the request for the release of the hostages held by Hamas.”
In Romania there was a similar reaction with several hundred people holding a demonstration in Izvor Park in central Bucharest in support of Israel. Also present was the Minister of Health, Alexandru Rafila.
In Serbia, a protest took place in the city of Novi Pazar called “Stop the war in Palestine”. It is no coincidence that the city is located in an area where the majority of people are Islamic. Instead, in Croatia, Albania and Montenegro no demonstrations of any kind were held, but the governments of the three countries sided with Israel. Zoran Milanovic, president of Croatia, specified that “Israel has the right to defend itself, but must not carry out acts of retaliation or massacres of innocent civilians”.
Finally, in Hungary Viktor Orban banned pro-Palestine demonstrations, as happened in several other European countries. The police forces established that such events could have created public order problems.
