Lejla Biogradlija
16 May 2021•Update: 17 May 2021
SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina
A Bosniak member of Bosnia and Herzegovina's Presidential Council on Sunday reacted to the Israeli premier's tweet thanking nations for supporting Israel against Palestine, saying his country does not support killings of innocent civilians.
"My message to (Israeli) Prime Minister (Benjamin) Netanyahu is that Bosnia and Herzegovina does not and cannot support the killings of innocent civilians in Gaza by Israeli military forces," Sefik Dzaferovic wrote on Facebook.
He called on Netanyahu to end the "disproportionate attacks" on Gaza and make his contribution to establish peace for the Palestinian and Israeli people.
Earlier in the day, Netanyahu thanked and mentioned 25 countries that are currently supporting Israeli in the ongoing escalation. Bosnia's flag is also included in the post.
Bisera Turkovic, the country's foreign minister, also rejected the Israeli premier's tweet. "Bosnia and Herzegovina supports a just solution between Palestine and Israel, no attack will lead to peace and stability," she said in a statement.
"We call for an immediate end to the attacks ... only negotiations can bring about lasting peace. We also support initiatives that would help stop the wave of violence."
At least 192 Palestinians, including 34 women and 58 children, have been killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza since May 10.
The tensions that began in Ramadan in East Jerusalem spread to Gaza after Palestinian resistance groups there vowed to retaliate against Israeli assaults on the Al-Aqsa Mosque and Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood.
Israel occupied East Jerusalem, where Al-Aqsa is located, during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. It annexed the entire city in 1980 in a move never recognized by the international community.
