Croatian president rejects Israeli ambassador over government policies

RT News · May 19, 2026 · 344 words · By Russia Today

International Relations Diplomatic Conflict Israel-Palestine Conflict

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.rt.com/news/640196-croatia-president-rejects-israeli-ambassador/

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Loaded Language 90% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

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9 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

check_circle Corroborated 4

info Single Source 2

verified Verified By Reference 1

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verified Verified 1

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“Croatian President Zoran Milanovic has refused to approve Israel’s new ambassador to Zagreb”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent news sources (Al Jazeera, RT, and other Israeli media reports) confirm that President Zoran Milanovic refused to approve the new Israeli ambassador.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Zoran Milanović (Croatian: [zǒran milǎːnoʋitɕ] ; born 30 October 1966) is a Croatian politician who is the current president of Croatia. First elected in 2020, he was re-elected in 2025 with 74% voter…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoran_Milanović

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Croatia national football team (Croatian: Hrvatska nogometna reprezentacija) represents Croatia in men's international football matches. It is governed by the Croatian Football Federation (HNS), t…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Croatia_national_football_team

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The president of Croatia, officially the president of the Republic of Croatia (Croatian: Predsjednik Republike Hrvatske), is the head of state, commander-in-chief of the military and chief representat…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/President_of_Croatia

+ 3 more evidence sources

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“The presidential office announced the decision on Monday.”

CORROBORATED

Both Al Jazeera and RT report that the presidential office announced the decision on Monday.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Since 28 February 2026, the United States and Israel have been engaged in a war with Iran and its regional allies. The conflict began when the US and Israel launched airstrikes on Iran, targeting mili…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Iran_war

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Events in the year 2026 in Croatia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_in_Croatia

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+ 3 more evidence sources

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“Israel deviated from established diplomatic norms by announcing their proposed ambassador before he was approved by the Croatian president”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

While the refusal of the ambassador is well-documented, the provided evidence does not explicitly state that Israel 'deviated from diplomatic norms' by announcing the ambassador before approval; it only mentions the refusal itself.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Full diplomatic relations between Croatia and Israel were established on April 9, 1997 following Croatia's independence from SFR Yugoslavia. Croatia has an embassy in Tel Aviv and honorary consulates …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Croatia–Israel_relations

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Christianity is the most widely professed religion in Croatia, representing 87.34% of the total population. A large majority of the Croats declare themselves to be members of the Catholic Church. Cro…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_Croatia

+ 3 more evidence sources

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“The term of Israel’s current ambassador to Zagreb, Gary Koren, expires at the end of the May.”

CORROBORATED

Both RT World News and another news source confirm that Gary Koren's term expires at the end of May.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The following is a list of Israeli ambassadors.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Israeli_ambassadors

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web search NEUTRAL — “Public or political pressure, in this case from the Israeli side, will not alter the President of the Republic’s decision.” The term of Israel’s current ambassador to Zagreb, Gary Koren, expires at t…
https://rtrunews.com/news/640196-croatia-president-rejects-i…

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web search NEUTRAL — This marks the first time in Croatian history that a Croatian president has withheld approval of an ambassador’s appointment. Israel’s current ambassador to Croatia, Gary Koren, is concluding his term…
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-896589

+ 1 more evidence source

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“Israeli diplomat Nisan Amdor, whom West Jerusalem last year selected to replace him, will instead arrive in Croatia next month as charge d’affaires”

SINGLE SOURCE

The detail regarding Nisan Amdor arriving as charge d'affaires is specifically reported by RT citing Ynet; other provided sources mention the rejection but not the specific replacement arrangement for Amdor.

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web search NEUTRAL — Israeli diplomat Nisan Amdor, whom West Jerusalem last year selected to replace him, will instead arrive in Croatia next month as charge d’affaires, a post not requiring presidential approval, Ynet re…
https://www.rt.com/news/640196-croatia-president-rejects-isr…

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web search NEUTRAL — A Trump insider and longtime friend of Charlie Kirk tells The Grayzone how the assassinated conservative leader’s turning point on Israeli influence provoked a private backlash from Netanyahu’s allies…
https://thegrayzone.com/2025/09/12/charlie-kirk-netanyahu-is…

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“the president summoning the Israeli ambassador after the latter made comments suggesting that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) could be conducting espionage activities from within the Iranian Embassy in Zagreb”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided evidence for this claim consists of unrelated Wikipedia entries about US Presidents and the White House. There is no evidence in the provided text regarding the summoning of the ambassador over IRGC espionage.

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web search NEUTRAL — The incumbent president is Donald Trump, who assumed office on January 20, 2025. [5][6] Since the office was established in 1789, 45 men have served in 47 presidencies.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_presidents_of_the_Unit…

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web search NEUTRAL — Under President Donald Trump’s second administration, the United States has surged into a new era of prosperity, marked by record-setting economic growth and trillions in new private-sector...
https://www.whitehouse.gov/

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web search NEUTRAL — Click on a president below to learn more about each presidency through an interactive timeline. The table below the graphic provides a list of presidents of the United States, their birthplaces, polit…
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Presidents-of-the-United-St…

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“Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar responded by accusing the president of using “hate-filled language about Israel and Zionism.””

CORROBORATED

Both Radio Bijelo Polje and a report mentioning The Jerusalem Post confirm that Foreign Minister Gideon Saar accused Milanovic of using hate-filled/anti-Semitic language.

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web search NEUTRAL — Gideon Moshe Sa'ar is an Israeli politician currently serving as Israel's Foreign Minister. Sa'ar was first elected to the Knesset as a member of Likud in 2003, serving until 2014.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gideon_Sa'ar

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web search NEUTRAL — Accused of 'unacceptable, hate-filled language'. Israel’s Foreign Ministry told The Jerusalem Post on Monday that it is working with the Croatian Foreign Ministry and the Croatian government to resolv…
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-896589

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web search NEUTRAL — Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar accused Croatian President Zoran Milanović of anti-Semitism in a post on the X social network.
https://radiobijelopolje.me/en/svijet/74490/izraelski-minist…

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“the war has left nearly 73,000 Palestinians dead since its onset in October 2023”

DISPUTED

The claim states nearly 73,000 dead, but the provided evidence from Anadolu Ajansı (citing the Health Ministry) reports at least 53,977 killed. There is a significant discrepancy between the claim's number and the evidence provided.

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web search NEUTRAL — (Al Jazeera). Since October 2023, Israel has systematically targeted Gaza’s already compromised water infrastructure – striking wells, pipelines, desalination plants and sewage systems.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/10/7/two-years-of-israel…

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web search NEUTRAL — Almost 123,000 Palestinians injured in Israeli assault since October 2023, Health Ministry says.At least 53,977 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s genocidal war since October 2023, the Health M…
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/nearly-54-000-palestini…

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web search NEUTRAL — On 7 October 2023 it attacked Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. This triggered a massive Israeli military offensive in Gaza, which has killed tens of thousands of Palestinian…
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clyv7w3gdy2o

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“Hamas attacked Israel, killing around 1,200 people and kidnapping more than 250”

VERIFIED

Although the 'Evidence gathered' section for claim 8 says 'No evidence found', the evidence provided for claim 7 explicitly states: 'On 7 October 2023 it attacked Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages.'

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.

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Croatian president rejects Israeli ambassador over government policies

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