Israel–Kosovo Relations

Israel’s relations with Kosovo developed against the backdrop of the 1999 Kosovo crisis, Israel’s later decision not to recognize Kosovo’s 2008 declaration of independence from Serbia, and the eventual normalization of ties in 2020–2021. The relationship also reflects a complicated regional setting: Israel had maintained good relations with Kosovars while sustaining strong economic ties with Serbia, and analysts have identified Serbia, Russia, the United States, and the Palestinian issue as factors shaping Israeli policy.[7][8]

During the 1999 crisis, Israeli leaders publicly expressed concern about violence against civilians. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, “We are shocked by what we see there and our heart is torn.” Foreign Minister Ariel Sharon condemned the killing, attacks, or expulsion of innocent civilians, called for efforts to end civilian suffering and resume negotiations, and said Israel was ready to provide humanitarian aid to refugees. Sharon also expressed concern that a possible “Greater Albania” involving Kosovo and other areas could lead to prolonged unrest in Europe.[9]

Israel also provided practical assistance to refugees. On April 2, 1999, an Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs-organized shipment of emergency supplies was flown by a special Israeli Air Force plane, which landed in Skopje, Macedonia, and Tirana, Albania. The cargo included medicines, medical equipment, jackets, and tents.[10] Four days later, an Israel Defense Forces medical mission departed for Macedonia to assist Albanian refugees from Kosovo. The 70-person team was commanded by Deputy Surgeon General Colonel Dr. Hezi Levi and included 12 physicians, nurses, paramedics, and other medical personnel; it had been prepared in 36 hours.[10]

The mission was designed to establish an emergency room at Stenkovech, about 12 kilometers north of Skopje, capable of treating several hundred patients per day, along with a field hospital that could hospitalize up to 100 people. The hospital was equipped for basic general, trauma, orthopedic, and gynecological surgery. The deployment was initially planned for two weeks, with a possible extension.[10] At the 2021 diplomatic-relations ceremony, Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi said Israel had received more than 100 refugees from Kosovo. Kosovo’s foreign minister also recalled that Israel had hosted families fleeing the 1999 war.[11]

Accounts of Sharon’s position concerning NATO’s bombing campaign are not identical. A 2024 BESA Center analysis says that Sharon condemned the bombing of Belgrade, whereas the reproduced contemporaneous statements emphasize his condemnation of violence against civilians, his calls to stop suffering and resume negotiations, and his warning about the possible consequences of a “Greater Albania.” Those statements, as reproduced, do not by themselves establish whether he explicitly condemned the NATO airstrikes.[7][9]

The two societies’ historical connections were also invoked in later diplomatic discussions. Former Kosovo prime minister Avdullah Hoti described Kosovo’s history as including centuries under Ottoman and Serbian rule and said that both peoples had struggled for centuries to have states of their own.[5] At the 2021 relations ceremony, Kosovo’s foreign minister said families in Kosovo had saved Jews during World War II and that some had been recognized by Yad Vashem as Righteous Among the Nations.[11]

A 2017 study of Jewish communities in post-Yugoslav countries described a small Jewish community in Kosovo. It reported that Jews from Pristina had left alongside Serbs when Serbia lost control of Kosovo in 1999, while the Jewish community remaining in Prizren was organized separately. The study also noted symbolic government support for Jewish heritage, including a Holocaust memorial and a pledge to build a Jewish heritage museum.[12] These observations predated Israel’s recognition of Kosovo.

Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, but Israel withheld recognition for more than a decade.[7][1] Accounts of Israel’s earlier policy cite several considerations, including preserving relations with Serbia, concern about relations with Russia, and apprehension that recognizing Kosovo could be invoked as a precedent relevant to Palestinian statehood. These explanations have been presented as analyses of Israeli policy rather than as a single, definitive official explanation.[7][1]

Israel and Kosovo had some contact before formal relations. The two sides reportedly maintained relations through the Israeli embassy in Belgrade, while Kosovo sought Israeli recognition by sending delegations to Jerusalem and considering a business office in Israel.[1] Israel was also described as reluctant to recognize Kosovo until it obtained wider international recognition, including from the United Nations; Kosovo’s international status remained contested and it continued to seek recognition from international bodies.[8][7]

A turning point came on September 4, 2020, when U.S. President Donald Trump hosted Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and Kosovo Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti at the White House. The leaders signed separate U.S.-brokered agreements focused largely on economic normalization between Serbia and Kosovo, including plans for air, rail, and motorway links between Belgrade and Pristina. A related arrangement facilitated mutual diplomatic recognition between Kosovo and Israel, and Kosovo committed to locating its embassy in Jerusalem.[13][14]

The announcement of Israel’s decision to establish diplomatic relations with Kosovo was made in the context of the White House meeting and the Serbia–Kosovo economic agreement.[3] U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo congratulated Hoti on the normalization of ties and mutual recognition in a statement on September 4. His statement discussed this alongside Serbia’s separate commitments to open a commercial office in Jerusalem and move its embassy there.[15] A BESA paper observed that the U.S. announcement concerning Serbia and Kosovo came 22 days after the announcement of Israel–United Arab Emirates normalization.[13]

The September 2020 announcement did not immediately settle how the recognition commitment should be characterized. Israeli officials publicly spoke of establishing diplomatic relations, while contemporaneous reporting noted that they had not explicitly said Israel would formally recognize Kosovo’s independence. A Serbian source distinguished diplomatic relations from recognition of Kosovo as an independent country.[16] Subsequent reporting described Israel as having recognized Kosovo and referred to it as the 117th country to do so.[17] Formal diplomatic relations were established on February 1, 2021.[2]

The 2020 arrangements were made outside the European Union-led dialogue framework for Kosovo and Serbia. The Congressional Research Service reported that U.S. officials reportedly did not fully consult EU officials in advance, and that reactions among Kosovo politicians and parties to different aspects of the U.S.-brokered agreements were mixed. It also noted that Israel’s diplomatic recognition was particularly welcome in Kosovo.[14]

The EU raised objections to the planned embassy moves to Jerusalem. In September 2020, European Commission spokesman Peter Stano said diplomatic steps that might call the EU’s common position on Jerusalem into question were “a matter of serious concern and regret.” The EU also warned that moving embassies could undermine Kosovo’s and Serbia’s prospects for EU membership. Former Israeli ambassador Oded Eran questioned the commitments’ legal status and said he doubted either country would follow through.[6]

Israel and Kosovo formally established diplomatic relations on February 1, 2021, in a virtual ceremony involving Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi and Kosovo Foreign Minister Meliza Haradinaj-Stublla. The ministers signed a document establishing relations, as well as memoranda concerning political consultations and cooperation through MASHAV, Israel’s international development cooperation agency. Ashkenazi approved Kosovo’s request to open an embassy in Jerusalem.[2]

The ceremony was conducted by video conference, with Ashkenazi signing in Jerusalem and Haradinaj-Stublla signing in Pristina; U.S. representatives observed from Washington. Kosovo Prime Minister Hoti and the leader of Kosovo’s Jewish community in Pristina were also reported among the participants.[11] Kosovo’s foreign minister could not travel to Israel during COVID-19 restrictions. The virtual signing raised legal questions but received approval from Israel’s Justice Ministry, and reporting described it as the first time two countries had established diplomatic relations virtually.[1]

Reporting at the time differed on Kosovo’s position in the sequence of states recognizing it. One report quoted Haradinaj-Stublla saying Israel was the 117th country to recognize Kosovo, while another quoted her as saying it was the 170th. The discrepancy has not been reconciled in the cited accounts.[11][18] Separately, a 2022 report described Israel as the 117th country to recognize Kosovo.[17]

Kosovo’s decision to place its embassy in Jerusalem became the most visible feature of its new relationship with Israel. Kosovo formally opened the embassy on March 14, 2021, after relations were established the previous month and following its September 2020 commitment.[8][4] The embassy was located on Keren Hayesod Street and headed by diplomat Ines Demiri.[4]

The embassy was widely described as a landmark. Kosovo became the first European state and the first Muslim-majority state to establish an embassy in Jerusalem, joining the United States and Guatemala.[1][4] Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a statement quoted by BESA, called Kosovo “the first country with a Muslim majority to open an embassy in Jerusalem.”[13]

Kosovo proceeded despite reported pressure and criticism. Reporting on the opening said Kosovo faced pressure in the days beforehand, including from Palestinian and Turkish actors, but went ahead with its commitment.[4] A later account recorded criticism of the embassy decision by Turkey, Jordan, the Palestinian Authority, and Hamas. Hoti said that such criticism did not change Kosovo’s policy and described its foreign policy as aligned with that of the United States.[5]

The issue formed part of a wider diplomatic context involving Serbia and the EU. Serbia had threatened not to move its embassy if Israel recognized Kosovo, while the EU warned Kosovo that moving its embassy could harm its prospects for EU membership and could call the EU’s shared position on Jerusalem into question.[8][6] Despite the uncertainty reported in 2020, Kosovo opened its Jerusalem embassy in March 2021.[4]

Israel did not reciprocate by opening an embassy in Kosovo during the period covered by the cited reports. In 2021, Israel had no plan to establish an embassy in Pristina and expected to appoint a non-resident ambassador based in Jerusalem.[1][4] By June 2023, Israel still had not opened an embassy in Kosovo and relied on non-resident ambassador Tammy Ziv. An Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman attributed the absence of an embassy to budgetary reasons.[5]

Since formal relations began, the two governments have developed cooperation in diplomacy, development, health, culture, education, and travel. The memoranda signed in February 2021 provided for political consultations between the foreign ministries and cooperation through MASHAV.[2] At the ceremony, Ashkenazi said Israel wanted to build bridges with Kosovo in health, tourism, and the economy.[11]

In April 2022, Regional Cooperation Minister Esawi Frej became the first Israeli cabinet minister to visit Kosovo. During the visit, he joined Kosovo’s health minister at a local hospital to which Israel had donated 90 wheelchairs. He also met Israeli doctors working with Save a Child’s Heart who had traveled to Kosovo to diagnose children in need of heart surgery.[17]

On May 9, 2022, Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid met Kosovo Foreign Minister Donika Gërvalla-Schwarz during her first visit to Jerusalem. The ministers discussed bilateral ties, aid, and the war in Ukraine, and signed agreements concerning culture, education, science, and film co-production. Gërvalla-Schwarz also signed a Holocaust-education agreement with Yad Vashem chairman Dani Dayan.[17]

In a 2023 interview, former prime minister Hoti said Kosovo sought a strategic partnership with Israel. He described the proposed relationship as closer cooperation in economic affairs and diplomacy, as well as sharing information and building capacity in security and strategic development. He said the countries had signed dozens of bilateral agreements and identified further proposals on investment protection, free trade, and eliminating double taxation.[5]

Hoti, then in opposition and heading Kosovo’s Israel parliamentary friendship group, led a delegation’s first trip to Jerusalem. He and four other members of the group met Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, MK Erez Malul, who headed the Knesset’s Kosovo friendship group, and Welfare Minister Ya’akov Margi. A business delegation representing 12 Kosovar companies accompanied the parliamentary engagement, which also promoted a visa-waiver agreement.[5]

Israel’s Foreign Ministry said it was advancing cooperation in medicine, post-trauma, and agriculture.[5] In June 2024, Kosovo Foreign Minister Gërvalla and visiting Israeli Interior Minister Moshe Arbel signed a visa-waiver agreement in Pristina.[7][19] The agreement was announced as due to take effect in September 2024; the report did not specify permitted lengths of stay.[19]

Kosovo also took steps presented in reporting as part of its effort to deepen ties with Israel. It reportedly adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism shortly before the 2023 interview and designated Hezbollah a terrorist organization in 2021.[5] At the February 2021 ceremony, Kosovo’s foreign minister expressed a commitment concerning the designation of Hezbollah and said she intended to promote Holocaust education, care for Jewish cemeteries, and open a Jewish cultural center in Kosovo.[2]

For Kosovo, Israel’s recognition was presented by Hoti as a diplomatic breakthrough and a signal that Kosovo should be respected and recognized internationally.[5] Kosovo continued to seek broader international recognition, including membership in the United Nations, while Serbia continued not to recognize Kosovo. Hoti said Kosovo would be a reliable pro-Israel vote if it joined the United Nations.[7][5]

For Israel, formal ties marked a change from a policy that had balanced relations with Serbia against possible strategic and diplomatic benefits of recognizing Kosovo. Analysts have described the earlier policy as reflecting concern about Serbia and Russia and the risk that recognition might be treated as a precedent for Palestinian statehood.[7][1] The relationship’s normalization was announced alongside the U.S.-brokered Serbia–Kosovo arrangement, but the Israel–Kosovo normalization was described as separate from the Abraham Accords.[17]

The United States played a central facilitating role in the 2020 breakthrough. The White House meeting connected economic normalization between Serbia and Kosovo with commitments involving Israel and Jerusalem.[13][14] Kosovo’s foreign minister later credited U.S. support with making the establishment of relations possible.[11]

In a 2025 commentary, the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs described Kosovo as having finalized ties with Israel on February 1, 2021, while discussing it alongside other normalization agreements. The commentary grouped Kosovo with countries that followed the original Abraham Accords, but did not identify Kosovo as a signatory to the September 2020 accords themselves.[20]

BESA characterized Kosovo as Israel’s friendliest Balkan ally since 2020 and emphasized Kosovo’s public support for Israel and its Jerusalem embassy.[7] This characterization sits alongside a practical agenda of diplomatic coordination, trade and investment proposals, development cooperation, healthcare, education, and cultural exchange.[5][17] Hoti’s proposed strategic partnership framed security cooperation and information-sharing as future ambitions rather than as a description of a completed agreement.[5]

Kosovo’s statehood remains diplomatically contested. Serbia does not recognize Kosovo, and Kosovo has continued to seek recognition from additional states and international bodies, including the United Nations.[7][5] A 2017 study described Kosovo as recognized by almost 110 UN member states at that time, but that account predates Israel’s recognition and should not be read as a present-day count.[12]

Israel’s former non-recognition and its later recognition have also been interpreted through the politically sensitive question of precedent. Several accounts report concern that recognizing Kosovo’s separation from Serbia could be compared with Palestinian claims to statehood.[7][6] The sources also describe other considerations, including Israel’s relations with Serbia and Russia; they do not establish a single, exclusive explanation for the policy.[7][1]

The diplomatic arrangements announced in 2020 generated debate over process and Jerusalem. The EU objected to embassy moves that could challenge its common position on Jerusalem, while the U.S.-facilitated initiatives proceeded outside the EU-led Serbia–Kosovo dialogue framework.[6][14] Kosovo’s embassy decision also drew criticism from Turkey, Jordan, the Palestinian Authority, and Hamas, but Kosovo proceeded with the opening.[5][4]

The sources differ in how they describe the 2020 recognition announcement and Sharon’s 1999 response. Contemporary reporting distinguished the announcement of diplomatic relations from an explicit declaration recognizing Kosovo’s independence, while subsequent reporting described Israel as recognizing Kosovo.[16][17] Accounts of Sharon’s statements likewise differ: one later analysis says he condemned NATO’s bombing, while the reproduced statements document his condemnation of civilian violence and related concerns without resolving whether he explicitly condemned the airstrikes.[7][9]