Croatian President Zoran Milanović has come under criticism from Israeli media after reports that he has refused for seven months to approve the appointment of Israel’s new ambassador to Zagreb. The case concerns Nissan Amdur, who was approved in November as the proposed replacement for current ambassador Gary Koren. Since Milanović has not confirmed the appointment, Amdur is expected to arrive in Croatia as chargé d’affaires after Koren’s mandate ends, a position that does not require the president’s approval.
Israeli media described Milanović as an “anti-Israeli Croatian president” and linked the refusal to political disagreements with Croatia’s right-wing government. According to the same reports, this is the first time that a Croatian president has refused to accept a foreign ambassador, which was presented as a serious breach of diplomatic protocol.
The controversy comes in the context of Milanović’s previous public positions on Israel and the war in Gaza, which have been sharply criticized by Israeli commentators. The reports frame the ambassadorial dispute as part of a broader political conflict between the Croatian president and the government over foreign policy direction and Croatia’s relationship with Israel.
