Bosnia's largest Bosniak party condemns Israeli foreign minister's remarks on 'Christian minorities'

Bosnia and Herzegovina’s largest Bosniak party, the Party of Democratic Action (SDA), has criticised Israel’s foreign minister, saying his remarks on the need to “safeguard the Christian minorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina” amount to direct interference in the country’s internal affairs.

After meeting on Monday with Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Serb member of the tripartite Presidency, Zeljka Cvijanovic, Gideon Sa’ar said on social media that he and Cvijanovic “discussed the need to safeguard the Christian minorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina.”

The SDA, founded by Bosnia and Herzegovina’s first president, the late Alija Izetbegovic, strongly condemned Sa’ar remarks.

In a statement on its website, the party said Sa’ar’s comments represented a continuation of a premeditated propaganda campaign targeting Bosniaks – who are predominantly Muslim – and constituted direct interference in Bosnia and Herzegovina’s domestic affairs.

“With the intention of harming Bosniaks, the Israeli minister is also unintentionally insulting Serbs and Croats, because there is no ‘Christian minority’ in Bosnia and Herzegovina,” the statement said.

“As stipulated by the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina, there are constituent peoples. Moreover, Bosniaks are not threatening any of these peoples; on the contrary, they are being deprived of their rights.”