Among the parties on the Serbian political scene, the only exception so far in taking a position on events in the Middle East has been the Green-Left Front, an eco-leftist party that has five of the 250 seats in parliament. The Front condemned Hamas’s terrorist attacks but also demanded a ceasefire and the implementation of the two-state solution as the only sustainable way of achieving long-term peace. But even they reacted only in late October, at the demand of their members.
However, other voices came from Serbian society. A Walk for Peace in Israel took place in Belgrade on October 15, and then another gathering on October 25, when the release of Hamas-held Israeli hostages was demanded. On October 22 and November 12 protests in support of Palestine took place, one also in Novi Sad. Neither gathering attracted more than several hundred attendants. The pro-Palestinian rallies saw some conflation of political causes, as several flags, of Serbia, Russia and even one of North Korea, were waved at them.
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This section of Serbian society seems to look at the events in Gaza through the lens of global resistance to US hegemony and/or the Global West. The best-attended protest in support of Palestine took place on November 2 in Novi Pazar, the main city of the majority-Muslim Sandžak region in south-western Serbia. Thousands attended it without supporting any other causes but that of Gaza.
Sports and entertainment in Serbia are never far from politics, and the two became involved in the Israel/Palestine issue as well. Israeli basketball clubs Maccabi and Hapoel will move to Serbia while the conflict is ongoing and will host games taking place within the Euroleague in Belgrade. Serbia’s government gave its guarantees and the security services their estimate that Belgrade might be the safest location for the Israeli basketball players. Politically, it is part of Serbia’s balancing act and a symbol of solidarity with the Israelis.
A different voice comes from the Serbian pop-music scene. One of the most popular singers, Jelena Karleuša, has taken up the Palestinian cause on her Instagram profile with 2 million followers. Known for her ardent approach when it comes to advocacy, and also known for getting involved with President Vučić’s PR network, Karleuša has used strong words to shame the IDF’s actions, evoking sympathy for the plight of the Palestinian civilians. While her motives may be sincere, the fact that she is not censored for them indicates that the President is fine with alternative opinions being publicly voiced, as has been the case with the Russo-Ukrainian war.
Meanwhile, volatility of the region served as an inspiration for a song about a dysfunctional relationship of Karleuša’s younger colleague Tea Tahirović. “Izrael i Palestina” was released in March but was resurrected to the list of top-trending songs in Serbia since the conflict erupted. Normally, the Balkans do not heed political correctness, but Tahirović decided to change the reference into “Spain and Argentina” to forestall any critique. Unlike Serbia, she can afford a decision.
Unlike either Tahirović or Serbia, Palestinians in Gaza have little choice in their lives, other than moving to an ever-shrinking “safe zone” of their ruined city, where their chances of survival are somewhat higher. The images of these people, moving or dead, evoke memories of homes lost and communities wiped out during the Yugoslav wars of the 1990s. Israel’s Ambassador to Croatia, Gary Koren, at a press conference drew a parallel between Israel’s current military operation and Croatia’s 1995 military operation “Storm”. That alone should make Croats understand why Israelis are doing what they are doing, in the ambassador’s mind. The expelled Croatian Serbs “were lucky to have Serbia receive them”, Koren quipped, chastising the Arab nations for not being willing to take in Palestinian refugees that Israel would probably deprive of the right of return.
To recall, in Operation “Storm”, Croatia regained its territory and some 200,000 Serbs who lived there were either ethnically cleansed or “decided to leave” – an event very similar to the Palestinian “Nakba” of 1948. Israel’s Foreign Ministry distanced itself from Koren’s remarks, but members of the Israeli Knesset and PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet have voiced opinions far more worthy of distancing regarding the future of Palestinians.
In the Serbian morning and prime time talk-shows, one can hear various analysts and pundits admire Israel’s tactics and even propose Serbia should emulate them in Kosovo. Or, they compare the actions of Serbian forces in Kosovo in 1999 and the special military operation in Gaza, concluding that Serbia was punished by NATO for a fraction of what Israel has done in a month. Accusations of Western hypocrisy and double standards ensue.
In a region as famous for its volatility as the Middle East, all people of the Balkans were at some point Palestinians. And all the nationalists – perpetrators, who now watch the scenes from Gaza not with horror but with glee, dreaming of themselves as the Israel of the Balkans. What is frozen can quickly be unfrozen, especially with the erosion of humanity being broadcast daily from Palestine.
Mirko Dautovic is an international relations analyst from Serbia and Adjunct Professor of International Relations at the Webster University in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
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