President Milanović says he will not approve Israel’s new ambassador

Israeli media report that President Zoran Milanović has withheld approval of Israel’s ambassador to Croatia for seven months — a move described as a serious breach of diplomatic protocol.

Nissan Amdur was selected to succeed Gary Koren last November. The President’s Office says Israel broke an unwritten diplomatic rule by publicly naming the ambassador before receiving prior consent from President Milanović, who has confirmed he will not grant approval.

The Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia issued the following statement:

“Given the actions of the Israeli side, the Office of the President of the Republic confirms that the proposed Ambassador of the State of Israel has neither received nor will receive the consent of the President of the Republic, Zoran Milanović, due to the policies of the current Israeli government. Granting or withholding consent for proposed ambassadors is the sovereign right of the Republic of Croatia and falls within the authority of the President of the Republic. Any public or political pressure, in this case from the Israeli side, will not alter the decision of the President of the Republic.”

Amdur is expected to arrive in Croatia in late May as chargé d’affaires — a position that does not require presidential approval — according to the Israeli newspaper the The Times of Israel, which on Monday described Milanović as an “anti-Israel” politician.

The Israeli news portal Ynet reported that this is the first known case of a Croatian president withholding approval for a foreign ambassador, calling it a “serious violation of diplomatic protocol.”

Ambassador Koren was summoned to the President’s Office in early March for talks and warned over what officials described as “unacceptable and harmful statements that disturb the public and harm Croatia.” The warning came after Koren called on Croatia to sever diplomatic relations with Iran and vet the staff of the Iranian embassy in Zagreb.