After October 7: Israeli Strategic Push to Strengthen Balkan Ties

On the afternoon of February 5, 2024, an aircraft observer at a field near Belgrade Airport captured footage of what he described as a "rare" aircraft preparing to land.

The aviation enthusiast uploaded a video on his YouTube channel showing a Boeing 707-300 aircraft with serial number 272, identified as belonging to the Israeli Occupation forces.

Following the afternoon of February 5, 2024, questions arose about the reasons behind Israeli military aircraft landing in Serbia. Shortly after that, Belgrade was overshadowed by growing controversy over Tel Aviv's efforts to strengthen ties with Western Balkan countries amidst its aggression against Gaza.

Importing Weapons

Regarding the mentioned aircraft, after a few hours of rest, it departed at exactly 06:04 PM, unlikely to have returned empty-handed. A joint investigation by Haaretz and the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN) concluded that the February 5 flight was one of seven flights coinciding with increased Serbian arms sales to “Israel” since October 2023.

An eighth flight, conducted by a privately owned cargo aircraft capable of transporting various types of goods, including weapons, was also noted. Six of these eight flights were directly linked to arms exports, according to the investigation published on June 10, 2024.

The investigation revealed a "massive" increase in Serbian arms sales to “Israel” during the Gaza aggression, previously modest in scale. Serbia exported weapons worth a total of 16.3 million euros to “Israel” since the outbreak of war in October 2023.

During February, March, and May 2024, Serbian arms exports to “Israel” amounted to 15.7 million euros, in addition to exports worth 540 thousand euros in October 2023. Belgrade disregarded widespread appeals, including those issued by a team of UN experts on February 23, to cease arms shipments to “Israel” due to the potential for violating international humanitarian law.

Finally, on May 26, despite the UN Human Rights Council's call to halt arms sales and transfers to “Israel,” three Israeli military aircraft landed at Belgrade Airport, spending several hours on the runway before returning to “Israel” Nevatim Airbase in Be'er Sheva. These flights coincided with 1.17 million euros worth of arms exports to “Israel” in May, mostly transported aboard Israeli military aircraft.

In detail, the investigation noted one flight on February 5, two on March 18, and three on May 26. The Serbian Ministry of Internal and Foreign Trade last mentioned “Israel” in its 2020 annual arms export report.

At that time, Serbia exported nearly 554 thousand euros worth of "bombs, torpedoes, missiles, shells, and other explosive devices to “Israel.”

Haaretz reported that the Belgrade government did not disclose the contents of the new shipments. The Serbian Ministry of Internal and Foreign Trade also rejected the investigative network's request, based on freedom of information laws, to disclose the dates of export licenses and the types of weapons delivered, citing the information as "highly classified."

According to the investigation, these flights followed the International Court of Justice's January 26, 2024 ruling directing “Israel” to prevent its army from committing genocide or inciting genocide against Palestinians in response to a case brought by South Africa.

On February 26, three weeks after an aviation enthusiast initially recorded the arrival of a Boeing 707-300 in Belgrade, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic spoke by phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Following their conversation, Vucic posted on Instagram that they discussed "further progress in bilateral relations." Netanyahu appeared enthusiastic, describing Vucic as a "true friend of Israel" and expressing gratitude for his words and actions.

“Israel” has taken a firm stance on the Srebrenica issue in Bosnia and Herzegovina, refraining from describing the events of 1995 as a "massacre," as termed by the United Nations and numerous countries.

In April 2024, Israeli Ambassador to Serbia Yahel Vilan told Sputnik Agency that “Israel” has never accepted the description of the Srebrenica "massacre," in which 8,000 Muslims were killed by Serbs.

Mutual Tourism

Away from politics and military necessities, “Israel” has taken steps during its aggression on Gaza to open up to neighboring Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Albania, and Montenegro, all of which have varying percentages of Muslims among their citizens, prompting questions about the reasons.

For example, Bosnia, which has shown opposition to the atrocities in Gaza for a long time, agreed to allow “Israel” Airlines to begin flights from “Tel Aviv” to Sarajevo on June 15, three days earlier.

These flights will operate once a week every Saturday until October 5, using the Embraer 195 aircraft with 122 seats.

Arkia flights will serve Israeli tourists visiting Bosnia and Herzegovina, as reported by the local Bosnian site Klix.ba.

In addition to Bosnia, officials from Kosovo also signed a joint agreement with Israeli officials to abolish the visa system for citizens of Western Balkan countries.

The agreement was signed at an official ceremony on June 18 by Kosovo's Foreign Minister Donika Gervalla and Israeli Interior Minister Moshe Arbel.

Gervalla described the signing of this agreement as evidence of the strong relations between Kosovo and “Israel,” which will facilitate visits by its citizens to Tel Aviv and foster cultural and professional relationships.

Through developing mutual relations with Balkan countries, Israelis aim to vacation in places where they feel safe without encountering protests or needing to hide Jewish symbols, as reported by Sarajevo Times on June 12.

The article added that every summer, airlines increase their flights to popular vacation destinations for Israelis.

However, this year, due to the Israeli war on Gaza and the Iranian rocket attack on “Israel”, international airlines suspended or completely halted flights to and from “Tel Aviv”. It's unclear when they will resume regular schedules, according to the Bosnian site.

Nevertheless, as summer approaches, airlines flying to “Israel” have begun increasing flights or adding new routes to both previously popular destinations and lesser-known ones for Israelis.

In the coming months, airlines will increase flights to Montenegro, Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Greece, Bosnia, and Herzegovina, as monitored by the site.

Ophir Tours Deputy President Yoni Waksman explains that the war has significantly impacted the demand for international flights.

“You can notice a decrease in the number of bookings not only for Turkey but also for countries like Ireland, France, and Spain. Israelis feel less comfortable traveling; they want to enjoy freedom without fear of encountering demonstrations or having to hide Jewish symbols. People want to go on vacation to a place where they will feel safe. That’s why destinations with higher demand are those that like us more,” Waksman clarified. 

Eshet Tours Vice President Shirley Cohen Orkaby agrees that personal safety is one of the main factors for Israelis when choosing a holiday, but not the only one. According to her, the proximity of the destination and the price of flights also play a significant role in choosing a destination. 

“Israelis like short flight times, and the price issue is also more relevant because we have a very limited supply of flights (which raises the price), significantly compared to what we used to know,” she said.

“Balkan countries have become very strong this year. An example of this is Montenegro, which has had a ‘tourist boom’ in recent years and massive European, American, Chinese, and Israeli tourist traffic. In 2017, the country joined the NATO alliance and switched from Russian hegemony to Western hegemony, increasing tourist traffic from around the world,” Orkaby stated. 

Montenegro is just a two-hour flight from Israel, with the capital city Podgorica experiencing continuous growth. According to Eshet Tours, approximately 10,000 Israelis have visited Montenegro each year over the past two years. 

This month, Neos and Corendon Airlines commenced four weekly flights to Montenegro: three to Podgorica and one to the coastal city of Tivat on Wednesdays. 

These flights will run until the end of October after the holidays, with return tickets starting at $299.

Benefits for the Balkans 

In addition to Israeli benefits in expanding arms import options and establishing relations with non-traditional allies, Western Balkan countries also seek gains from “Tel Aviv”.

For Belgrade, Bosko Jaksic, a foreign policy analyst for Balkan Insight on June 10, explained that Serbia is not only seeking money.

“President Aleksandar Vucic uses the country's arms exports to bolster its position toward the West, while supplying “Israel” should not be a source of pride as it faces genocide charge,” Jaksic said.

Vucic wants to balance his position as one of Russia's key allies with the West, despite scrutiny over his closeness to Russian President Vladimir Putin amid the Ukraine war.

Stronger bilateral relations with “Israel” hold numerous benefits for Western Balkan capitals, especially weaker countries.

From security cooperation and intelligence exchange to broader trade networks and increased tourism, all parties stand to benefit from these relations, according to Just Security on November 22, 2022.

It's worth noting the cybersecurity cooperation between “Israel” and Albania, which severed ties with Iran and ordered the departure of the Iranian embassy staff in September 2022.

At that time, Albania accused the Iranian embassy of coordinating a major cyber attack on July 15 of the same year, temporarily shutting down many Albanian government digital services and websites.

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama stated that the investigation concluded the cyber attack was not conducted by independent individuals or groups, describing it as a state aggression.

The countries have been bitter rivals for years since the Balkan state began hosting members of the Iranian opposition movement Mujahedin-e Khalq on its soil.

After cutting ties with Iran, Rama visited “Israel” in October 2022 for a three-day visit focused on cybersecurity.

The historical dimension cannot be neglected, as the Jewish community has been an integral part of life in the Western Balkans for centuries, according to Just Security.

Investing in relations with “Israel” can also help revitalize the Jewish community in the Balkans, a process that could over time reverse decades of decline and decay, as described.

“Israel is clearly interested in having a larger presence in the Western Balkans. On Oct. 7, the country will join the UK, the EU, and the Western Balkan states in participating in the first summit of the European Political Community, a French-led initiative to provide an alternative to the faltering EU enlargement project. Even if the Political Community turns out to be a largely ineffectual format – the probability of which is high – regional capitals should not squander the opportunity to deepen their links with Israel,” according to the same source.

“The entire Western Balkans region – barring only perhaps Serbia – is at least formally committed to the Euro-Atlantic political and security order. As such, countering the influence of states like Iran, Russia, and China, among others, is already implicitly part of these countries’ foreign policy postures.”