After SDA leader Bakir Izetbegović stated on social media that “Israel, through its actions in Gaza, has equated Zionism with Nazism,” a formal response followed today from the Israeli ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Galit Peleg.
In a letter addressed to Izetbegović, Ambassador Peleg emphasized that his statements were “historically and morally wrong,” “deeply offensive to the memory of millions of victims of the Nazi regime,” and “dangerously misleading in the context of the current conflict.”
The Holocaust and Zionism
The ambassador reminded of the historical facts — that six million Jews were murdered during World War II solely because of their identity, by the Nazis. She pointed out that Zionism is the national movement of the Jewish people for the right to self-determination in their ancient homeland.
“Comparing Zionism to Nazism is an insult to all Holocaust victims,” Peleg stressed, as reported by the portal Provjereno.
On the Gaza conflict
In her letter, Peleg also referred to the current conflict in Gaza, stating that the war did not begin because of Zionism or Israeli aggression, but with “the horrific attack on October 7, 2023 — the most brutal assault on Jews since the Holocaust.”
“On that day, the terrorist organization Hamas, with the active participation or support of parts of the Gaza population, carried out a premeditated massacre on Israeli territory. They killed, tortured, raped, burned, and looted. Entire families were murdered in their homes, and 250 innocent people — men, women, and children — were kidnapped. Today, 50 hostages are still in the hands of Hamas, held in inhumane conditions,” the ambassador wrote.
She added that Hamas is not “a shadowy terrorist organization,” but an elected authority in Gaza that “knows the war could end tomorrow if it released all hostages.”
Criticism directed at Izetbegović
Ambassador Peleg criticized Izetbegović for what she described as the absence of any call for Hamas to be held accountable.
“Mr. Izetbegović, in your statement I did not see a single word calling Hamas to account — and this is the authority in Gaza that caused this catastrophe, for both Jews and Palestinians. If you and other leaders in Bosnia and Herzegovina truly care about the Palestinian people, the most morally correct act would be to call on Hamas to immediately release the hostages and stop using its own people as pawns in its violent, extremist agenda,” she wrote.
The humanitarian situation in Gaza
The letter also states that Israel continues to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza, including food, medicine, and fuel, and that it is Hamas that “appropriates that aid for itself while ordinary people starve.”
“Hamas leaders are well-fed, while the people of Gaza suffer. It is Hamas, not Israel, that starves its own people and hoards supplies,” Ambassador Peleg wrote.
The danger of equating Zionism with Nazism
At the end of the letter, Ambassador Galit Peleg firmly rejected Izetbegović’s comparison of Zionism and Nazism, stating that such rhetoric “distorts history, spreads hatred, and destroys the hope for peace.”
“Zionism is not Nazism. Zionism is the Jewish people’s right to life and sovereignty after centuries of persecution, including genocide. Hamas is not a resistance movement — it is a terrorist organization dedicated to the destruction of Israel and the Jewish people, which cares neither for Jews nor for Palestinians. If we seek justice and reconciliation, we must begin with truth — and with the moral courage to hold accountable those who are truly responsible,” Peleg concluded.
Source: RTRS
