Following a statement by SDA leader Bakir Izetbegović on social media yesterday, in which he claimed that “Israel, through the conflict in Gaza, has equated Zionism with Nazism,” a formal response has now arrived from Galit Peleg, the Israeli ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
In a letter addressed to Izetbegović, Ambassador Peleg emphasized that his remarks 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.”
On the Holocaust and Zionism
The ambassador recalled historical facts—that six million Jews were murdered during World War II solely because of their identity, by the Nazis. She stated that Zionism is the national movement of the Jewish people for the right to self-determination in their ancient homeland.
“Equating Zionism with Nazism is an insult to all victims of the Holocaust,” Peleg underlined.
On the Gaza conflict
In her letter, Peleg also addressed the ongoing conflict in Gaza, noting that the war did not begin due to Zionism or Israeli aggression, but with “the horrific attack of 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 slaughtered in their homes, and 250 innocent people—men, women, and children—were kidnapped. Today, 50 hostages remain in Hamas custody, 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, as she put it, failing to hold Hamas accountable.
“Mr. Izetbegović, in your statement I did not see a single word calling Hamas to account,” she wrote, stressing that Hamas is the ruling power in Gaza responsible for this catastrophe—for both Jews and Palestinians. “If you and other leaders in Bosnia and Herzegovina genuinely 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.”
The humanitarian situation in Gaza
The letter also states that Israel continues to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza, including food, medicine, and fuel, while Hamas “seizes that aid for itself, leaving the ordinary people to starve,” writes provjereno.info.
“Hamas leaders are well-fed, while the people of Gaza suffer. Hamas, not Israel, is starving its own people and hoarding supplies,” 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 with Nazism, stating that it “distorts history, spreads hatred, and destroys 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 committed to the destruction of Israel and the Jewish people, caring neither for Jews nor for Palestinians. If we seek justice and reconciliation, we must begin with the truth—and with the moral courage to hold accountable those who are truly responsible,” Ambassador Peleg concluded.
Source: Atv
