President Zoran Milanovic, a staunch critic of Israel’s war on Gaza, says Israel broke an ‘unwritten rule’ by announcing its ambassador before approval.

Croatian President Zoran Milanovic has refused to approve Israel’s new ambassador to Zagreb due to the “policies pursued by the current Israeli authorities”.

“The proposed Ambassador of the State of Israel has not received, nor will he receive, the consent of the President of the Republic Zoran Milanović,” the president’s office said in a statement on Monday.

Milanovic, a staunch critic of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, said he had previously refrained from publicly commenting on the matter, in line with diplomatic practice, but now argued that Israel had broken the “unwritten rule” by announcing its proposed ambassador before receiving consent.

Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it was working with its Croatian counterparts to “resolve the matter of the status of Israel’s next ambassador in Zagreb”, in a statement carried by The Times of Israel.

Tensions between Croatia and Israel have been simmering amid Israel’s military aggression in Gaza and the broader Middle East.

In February, Milanovic announced that members of Croatia’s armed forces would not cooperate with the Israeli army “due to their unacceptable actions and unprecedented trampling of” international humanitarian law.

In March, he condemned the US-Israel war on Iran, saying that the desire for government change in Tehran could lead to “economic damage” and long-term consequences.

Nissan Amdur is meant to replace Ambassador Gary Koren, whose term finished at the end of May. According to the Israeli outlet Ynet, Amdur will now go to Croatia as a charge d’affaires, an appointment that does not require presidential approval.

A source familiar with the details told the outlet that Milanovic is a “problematic political figure who in the not-so-distant past made clearly anti-Israel and antisemitic remarks”.

It is the first time in Croatia’s history that a president has rejected the approval of an ambassador, the report said.

Milanovic, for his part, said that “granting or withholding of consent for proposed ambassadors is a sovereign right of” the president.

Milanovic has been in office since 2020 and is part of a left-wing party that holds different views from the conservative government, which supports Israel.

Despite having limited power, it is the president’s domain to confirm ambassadorial appointments.