Dodik sends letters to Netanyahu and Ohana for anniversary
The SNSD leader backed Israel's right to defend itself in the letters, and the Palace of the Republic in Banja Luka was lit up last night in memory of Israeli victims.
Milorad Dodik, president of the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD), sent one letter each to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana on the third anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel, October 7. It is a move from the neighborhood: Republika Srpska, an entity in Bosnia and Herzegovina, is using the letters to state a public position on the war in the Middle East, and the Palace of the Republic in Banja Luka was lit up last night in memory of Israeli victims.
Dodik thus sent the same message to two addresses in the Israeli government, the executive and the legislative, since Netanyahu heads the cabinet and the Knesset is Israel’s parliament.
What did Dodik tell Netanyahu?
In the letter to the prime minister, Dodik expressed the solidarity and sympathy of Republika Srpska with the people and institutions of Israel, stressing that Republika Srpska supports Israel’s right to defend itself and has politically backed the narrative and all global initiatives against terrorism throughout. In the translation of the letter published by Danas, he wrote:
“I take this opportunity, Mr. Prime Minister, to express my personal support and that of RS for your just struggle. Your brave and wise leadership has earned Israelis respect for fighting terrorism, the plague of our time. To Your Excellency I wish victory and success in all spheres of your career and this struggle.”
By “the plague of our time,” Dodik means terrorism in the same letter, and he wished Netanyahu success in his career as well, not only in the struggle he mentions.
What does the letter to the Knesset speaker say?
The second letter is addressed to Amir Ohana. According to RTRS, Dodik writes in it that Republika Srpska remembers with great sympathy the horrific terrorist attack of October 7, 2023, in which a large number of innocent people died. He adds that Republika Srpska has supported Israel’s right to defend itself since that date and unanimously condemns the brutal terrorist attacks that Hamas carried out then.
The same letter also contains a message to the families of the victims:
“In complete solidarity, we stand with the victims, the survivors and all innocent families affected by that violence.”
Dodik stresses in the letter that Republika Srpska has held this position since the very day of the attack, October 7, 2023.
What is known about the attack the letters refer to?
On October 7, 2023, Hamas carried out an incursion and rocket attack on Israeli territory. Reports agree that about 1,200 people were killed, but they differ on the number of hostages: Danas says about 250 people were abducted, while RTRS writes that Hamas militants abducted more than 250 Israelis.
How was the anniversary marked in Banja Luka?
The Palace of the Republic was lit up last night in memory of Israeli victims and in solidarity with the Israeli people, on the occasion of the same anniversary, three years since the Hamas attack. The published reports do not say whether Netanyahu or Ohana replied to the letters, so it is not known what response Dodik’s message drew in Jerusalem.
