Israel is strengthening its relationship with Bosnian Serb nationalist Milorad Dodik, whose political project seeks to separate Republika Srpska (RS), Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Serb-majority entity, from the rest of the country.
Reports filed by a lobbying firm working for the RS government now claim that Israeli officials have expressed an interest in its independence, although the claims do not independently establish that the Israeli government has formally endorsed secession.
In September, Israel opened a Chamber of Commerce office in Banja Luka, the capital of Republika Srpska, with Israeli officials and Dodik attending the inauguration. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar also publicly congratulated Dodik’s political bloc following Bosnia’s October elections, describing the result as a “strong vote of confidence” in RS and Dodik’s leadership, without mentioning Bosnia and Herzegovina’s territorial integrity in his statement.
In January, Dodik said he had asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to help the entity re-establish its own army, finances, courts and intelligence services, institutions that would challenge Bosnia’s existing constitutional order. Dodik has also openly described his desire for Republika Srpska to break away from Bosnia and join Serbia.
Separately, Canadian lobbying firm Dickens & Madson, hired by the RS government, reported to the US Department of Justice that it had met with the offices of the Israeli president and Saudi Arabia’s crown prince to secure support for RS independence. The firm claimed both governments had an interest in independence and might raise the issue with US authorities. These are claims made by a paid lobbyist; the reports do not establish whether such discussions with the US subsequently took place or confirm an official Israeli commitment to secession.
As political and economic ties deepen, Israel’s engagement with Dodik risks providing international legitimacy to a separatist project that could further destabilise Bosnia and the wider Balkans.
