We have come to Israel to hold meetings with our key partners—the President and Prime Minister of Israel, members of the government, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs—and to be a guest of their parliament, where I will receive a medal awarded to foreign nationals at the highest level, said Milorad Dodik, adding that this visit confirms the long-standing, unquestionable friendship between Republika Srpska and Israel.
“We will discuss the current situation, reaffirming our friendship, which is unquestionable and has endured for years. We believe that Israel—the state and the Jewish people—has the right to freedom, to its own state, and to respond to anything that threatens that freedom,” Dodik said, who arrived in Israel together with the acting President of Republika Srpska, Ana Trivić Babić.
He noted that Israel has endured difficult times and recalled the terrorist attack of October 7, when 1,400 people, mostly young, were killed—demonstrating the brutality pursued by Hamas, where women, children, the elderly, and civilians were not spared.
“Ordinary people working in the fields were killed, and what we must remember is that at a concert attended mostly by young people, more than 500 were killed on the spot. They could not even realize that an attack was underway. That left a deep impression on me, which inevitably shapes my broader political thinking,” Dodik said.
He emphasized that Israel is a state fighting for its freedom—and has the right to do so.
“We understand this narrative because, in a way, the adversary is almost identical—extreme, motivated by political Islam, seeking to impose a single vision of society with no room for others. This is something we witnessed when various mujahideen were brought in from across the world. And today we must not be complacent: in Bosnia and Herzegovina, particularly within Muslim communities, there are individuals who fought for the so-called Islamic State and have since returned. This requires vigilance,” Dodik said.
He added that discussions in Israel will cover all forms of cooperation.
“Above all, the exchange of security and other information. Israel is a leader in security technologies, and we will explore ways to apply some of these solutions at home. I am pleased to be here today—tomorrow I meet the President, and on Wednesday the Prime Minister.”
Dodik stressed that there is a high level of mutual understanding between Republika Srpska and Israel.
“We remain committed supporters of a free Israel and a fully functioning state in which Jews shape their country as they see fit. I also want to brief my interlocutors on the situation in Republika Srpska. We have been placed in shackles called Bosnia and Herzegovina—something we did not choose.”
He concluded by saying that global elites sought to weaken Republika Srpska, the Serbian people, and Christianity in the area, to strengthen the Muslim component of Bosnia and Herzegovina—making life for Christians untenable.
“There are many elements that support this assessment, and I believe I will encounter understanding here. These are friends. Despite their many challenges, what we need now is understanding and support. We share the same core values of the modern world: a state for its people—free people—who know that without a state, there is no freedom,” Dodik said.
Source: RTRS
