DODIK: ANTI-SEMITISM ROOTED IN SOCIAL AND POLITICAL FABRIC OF SARAJEVO AND BOSNIAKS

JERUSALEM, FEBRUARY 2 /SRNA/ - Anti-Semitism is deeply rooted in the social and political fabric of Sarajevo, and among Muslims in the region, particularly in BiH, SNSD President Milorad Dodik stated.

In an interview with The Jerusalem Post, the SNSD President drew attention to the rising anti-Semitism in Europe, especially in Sarajevo, which is now “the main Muslim city in the Balkans.” Dodik compared criticism of Israel during the Gaza war to international treatment of Serbs during the Bosnian war, arguing that political criticism quickly transforms into collective demonization. He says that by canceling the conference of European rabbis in Sarajevo, Europe seeks to subordinate Christians, and the Muslims in Sarajevo and BiH announced that the proceeds from the Sarajevo Haggadah, which they hold in their possession, will be sent to Hamas in Gaza. He emphasized that someone can disagree with certain policies carried out by the Israeli authorities, and that this is normal in a democratic society. However, he noted that Serbs witness firsthand how quickly such disagreements can escalate into open anti-Semitism in various European countries. “Israel is the cradle of Judeo-Christianity and its heritage, which is increasingly under attack by liberal elites, but also — above all — by what we see in the West through mass migrations, which often bring people of the Islamic faith who genuinely carry anti-Semitism,” Dodik stated. The SNSD leader noted that Israel is a small country constantly demonized by fake media, especially in the West, and by those who are now in a position — or believe they are — to attribute as many false “labels” to Israel as possible. “We have a strong shared history, and I am proud of the heritage that the Serbs preserve in the Balkans. That is why people often say - and we feel the same way - that we, Republika Srpska, are the ‘Israel of the Balkans,’” Dodik said. According to him, anti-Semitism does not arise because of Israel’s actions, but as a result of efforts to destroy the Jewish religion and history. Dodik believes that many people identify Jews and Israel in the wrong way by promoting anti-Semitism and wanting Israel as a state to disappear, because they know that the Jewish people in this region cannot exist without their own state. “It is the same with us Serbs - if we do not have our own state, we do not have our freedom. We saw this during the Second World War, when we were subjugated by Nazi forces and their local collaborators, such as the Croatian Ustashas. At that time, we witnessed the greatest crimes against Jews and Serbs in the Balkans, exemplified by Jasenovac,” Dodik reminded.