Croatia's President Zoran Milanović has refused to approve Israel's new ambassador to Zagreb, linking the decision to "the policies being pursued by the current Israeli authorities."
In an official statement released on Monday, the president's office announced that the candidate proposed by Israel "has not received and will not receive the consent of the President of the Republic, Zoran Milanović."
Milanović, who for months has emerged as one of Europe's harshest critics of Israel's war in Gaza, said he had so far avoided public comment on the issue out of diplomatic practice. But he accused Israel of breaking an "unwritten rule" by announcing the ambassador's name before receiving formal approval from the Croatian presidency.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry responded by stating that it is working with Croatian authorities to "resolve the issue of the status of the future Israeli ambassador to Zagreb."
Relations between Croatia and Israel have been significantly strained in recent months due to the war in Gaza and developments in the Middle East.
In February, Milanović declared that Croatian soldiers would not cooperate with the Israeli army “due to unacceptable actions and unprecedented violations of international humanitarian law.”
Meanwhile, in March, the Croatian president condemned the US-Israeli war against Iran, warning that regime change efforts in Tehran could bring "economic damage" and long-term consequences.
Israeli diplomat Nissan Amdur was scheduled to replace Ambassador Gary Koren, whose term ends at the end of May. According to Israeli media, Amdur is expected to go to Croatia as a chargé d'affaires, a post that does not require presidential approval.
