October 11th, 2023 | Bosnia & Herzegovina
Benjamina Karić, Mayor of Sarajevo, made comments yesterday on the conflict in Israel and Palestine. In this interview with N1, Karić began by talking about the bands that have been announced for Sarajevo’s New Year’s Eve celebrations.
But the tone of the conversation shifted when asked whether the City Hall would be illuminated in colours to reflect the conflict in the Middle East. “The City Council supported my decision not to allow illumination of the City Hall, except in certain cases such as national holidays and calendars from the City of Sarajevo.”
She continued, stating her personal opinion on the matter. “If you ask me for my personal position, I will be happy to express it, I have never run away from it. In this case, it would be hypocritical for me to condemn only one attack. For me, it is hypocritical to condemn only the Hamas attack on Israel, without condemning everything that happened before that. I condemn every attack, every act of terrorism, every killing of innocent people. So I equally condemn everything that is happening in Palestine. The killing of innocent children and women and civilians. I was very emotionally shaken by the information that Gaza is currently without water and electricity. We who survived the siege of Sarajevo know what it feels like. We must be human and equally condemn everything that is happening, including what happened before in Palestine and the attack by Hamas.”
Karić is not the only Bosnian politician to speak on the issue. Chairwoman of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina Borjana Krišto, in a tweet on Sunday, condemned Hamas and stated her support for Israel. “I unequivocally condemn the unjust and brutal attack by Hamas on Israel and its citizens. We stand firmly with Israel in these difficult times.”
This sentiment has garnered criticism from Presidency Chairman Željko Komšić, who said Krišto “carelessly and selfishly published a message on social networks, disregarding the suffering of the Palestinian people,” in an interview with BHT 1. He claimed that reactions from Bosnia and Herzegovina politicians to the events in the Middle East were used for internal political showdowns.
Israeli Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina Galit Peleg said that Krišto did not choose the side of Israel, but the side of human beings. She continued, “In this barbaric attack by Hamas savages, the victims were people, and the perpetrators were nowhere near people. On which side of history will you be remembered, Mr. Komšić?”
Sources:
Bosnia’s Komsic sends insulting response to Israeli Ambassador’s statement