Israel–Serbia Relations

Israel and Serbia maintain diplomatic relations supported by an Israeli embassy in Belgrade.[1] Their cooperation extends to investment, technology, and tourism,[5] as well as agriculture and defense.[4] Israel’s embassy in Serbia is located at Bulevar Kneza Aleksandra Karadjordjevica 47 in Belgrade.[1] The relationship combines formal state contacts with connections sustained by Jewish communities, businesses, educational institutions, and historical remembrance.[1][5]

The modern relationship developed from Israel’s earlier relations with Yugoslavia, which recognized the Jewish state, permitted Jewish emigration, and later broke diplomatic ties in 1967.[6] Economic and cultural exchanges nevertheless continued during the diplomatic rupture.[7] Renewed official relations followed during Yugoslavia’s dissolution.[8] In the subsequent relationship, cooperation and political disagreement have existed alongside one another: Serbia objected to Israel’s recognition of Kosovo, but commercial and security links continued to expand.[9][3]

By 2026, the bilateral agenda included free-trade negotiations, a Joint Economic Committee, permanent Israeli economic representation in Belgrade, and an Israel–Serbia Chamber of Commerce.[4] These initiatives accompanied substantial growth in trade and defense transactions, giving the relationship an increasingly practical economic and strategic dimension.[3][4]

An early expression of Serbian support for Jewish statehood came in December 1917, when a Serbian delegation in the United States sent a letter to Serb Army captain David Albala supporting the creation of a Jewish state in Palestine.[5] Zemun also holds a place in Zionist history through Theodor Herzl’s family roots there and the influence of the town’s Sephardi rabbi Judah Alkalai.[10]

Yugoslavia recognized Israel in May 1948, soon after its establishment, and full diplomatic relations and an initial trade agreement followed.[11] The Yugoslav authorities permitted most Jewish Holocaust survivors to immigrate to Israel in 1948–49.[11] A majority of Yugoslavia’s Holocaust survivors ultimately emigrated to Israel, while Jews who remained maintained connections with Jews in Israel and Western countries through the second half of the twentieth century.[1]

Relations were cordial between 1949 and 1954, with political, social, and cultural exchanges linking organizations in the two countries.[11] These included contacts between Yugoslavia’s Socialist Union and Mapai, between Yugoslav trade unions and the Histadrut, and through the countries’ legations in Belgrade and Tel Aviv.[11] Yugoslavia’s position became less favorable toward Israel after the 1955 Bandung Conference and the development of Josip Broz Tito’s nonaligned foreign policy.[11]

During the 1956 Sinai crisis, Yugoslavia adopted a strongly hostile position toward Israel and slowed, then largely halted, positive forms of bilateral cooperation.[11] Its subsequent policy supported Arab positions against Israel, although this did not extend to participation in an economic boycott.[11] Following the Six-Day War in June 1967, Yugoslavia severed diplomatic relations and became a prominent critic of Israel within the non-aligned movement.[6]

In a 1970 conversation with U.S. President Richard Nixon, Tito stated that “the existence of Israel as a state is not in question.”[12] He nevertheless made restoration of relations conditional on Israel changing its policies, renouncing territorial claims, and returning to its pre-1967 boundaries.[12] Through the 1980s, Yugoslavia continued supporting the Palestine Liberation Organization and forgoing diplomatic relations with Israel, with protection of oil and other regional imports forming part of its foreign-policy calculations.[13] PLO leader Yasir Arafat received a warm reception in Belgrade in 1988 when he urged Yugoslavia to act as a Middle East peacemaker.[13]

The absence of diplomatic relations did not end bilateral commerce.[11] Two-way trade, which had begun modestly in 1949, reached $6 million when a third trade agreement was signed in 1966 and remained growing and fairly balanced in 1971.[11] Israel imported meat, wood, furniture, metal products, and sugar from Yugoslavia; Yugoslav purchases from Israel included cement, citrus products, phosphates, tires, textile rayons, and plastics.[11]

Jewish communal organizations also maintained open relations with Israel and other Jewish organizations during the diplomatic rupture.[6] Group visits to Israel sometimes encountered difficulties with local authorities, and some individuals experienced problems because of pro-Israel or pro-Zionist positions.[6] During the 1980s, commercial and cultural contacts, sporting cooperation, and tourism expanded.[11] Thousands of Israelis visited Yugoslavia, with tourist numbers increasing even though trade with Israel remained small compared with Yugoslavia’s commerce with other Middle Eastern partners.[7] Adria Airlines introduced direct flights to and from Israel in 1989.[11]

Signs of political rapprochement became more visible in the late 1980s.[7] A July 1987 meeting between Yugoslav President Lazar Mojsov and Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres received extensive Yugoslav media coverage.[7] Several weeks later, the state news agency Tanjug reopened its Tel Aviv bureau after a twenty-year absence.[7] By 1990, however, internal ethnic tensions were still contributing to Yugoslavia’s reluctance to restore diplomatic relations.[7]

Jewish and Serbian intellectuals founded the Serbian-Jewish Friendship Society in Belgrade in May 1988, with restoration of Yugoslav-Israeli diplomatic relations as its stated principal goal.[7] Its membership reached 3,500 within six months.[7] After Yugoslavia began disintegrating in 1991 and civil war broke out, Serbian Jews became cut off from other Jewish communities in the region.[1]

Diplomatic relations were restored during the period of Yugoslavia’s breakup, and Israel subsequently opened its embassy in Belgrade.[8] A study of post-Yugoslav Jewish communities dates the restoration between Yugoslavia and Israel to January 1992 and notes that the Belgrade embassy also covered Montenegro after that country’s independence in 2006.[8] In 2017, Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dačić called the 1967 rupture a “mistake” at an event marking twenty-five years since the renewal of relations.[14]

During the Kosovo War in 1999, Israeli Foreign Minister Ariel Sharon condemned NATO’s bombing campaign against Belgrade.[15] Later high-level contacts included President Reuven Rivlin’s July 2018 visit, the first visit to Serbia by an Israeli president.[10] Rivlin and Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić participated in a ceremony naming a street in Belgrade’s Zemun neighborhood after Theodor Herzl, linking the diplomatic visit to the area’s Jewish and Zionist heritage.[10]

On September 4, 2020, U.S. President Donald Trump hosted Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and Kosovo Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti at the White House for agreements concerning economic normalization.[2] Serbia committed to opening a commercial office in Jerusalem and relocating its embassy there, while the arrangements separately provided for normalization and mutual recognition between Israel and Kosovo.[16] Netanyahu welcomed the Serbian commitment, saying: “I thank my friend the president of Serbia for the decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and to transfer his embassy there.”[2]

Israel had previously withheld recognition of Kosovo partly to avoid antagonizing Serbia and Russia and because of concerns that Kosovo’s unilateral path to independence could be invoked in support of Palestinian statehood claims.[15] Israel and Kosovo agreed in September 2020 to establish diplomatic relations and formally did so on February 1, 2021.[17] The ceremony took place virtually because of COVID-19 lockdown and travel restrictions and was reported as the first virtual establishment of diplomatic relations between two countries.[17] Kosovo opened its embassy in Jerusalem on March 14, 2021.[18]

Serbia, which does not recognize Kosovo as independent, publicly objected to Israel’s decision.[9] Foreign Minister Nikola Selaković said in February 2021 that Serbia was unhappy and that the decision would “undoubtedly influence relations between Serbia and Israel.”[9] Serbia did not relocate its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, and the post remained in Tel Aviv after the planned 2021 move.[15]

Economic engagement continued despite the diplomatic strain.[19] In November 2021, Serbia inaugurated an innovation and trade office at Margalit Startup City in Jerusalem.[19] Serbia’s trade minister presented the office as a means of improving economic cooperation and attracting investment, with tourism, cybersecurity, and technology identified as promising areas for expansion.[19] Annual bilateral trade was then estimated at approximately €73 million.[19]

Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen visited Belgrade in July 2023, becoming the first Israeli foreign minister to visit in fourteen years.[20] Cohen and Vučić discussed bilateral relations, Holocaust remembrance, and Iranian terrorism, while their talks also addressed economic cooperation, innovation, and cyber defense.[20][21] Vučić said a new Serbian ambassador would arrive in Israel, following approximately three years in which the post had been unfilled.[20] Serbia appointed an ambassador in October 2023, restoring ambassador-level representation and opening another channel for dialogue.[22]

Serbian officials subsequently expressed interest in expanding ties in technology, innovation, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, travel, and people-to-people exchanges.[22] Foreign Minister Marko Đurić stated that Serbia wanted to improve relations despite differences over Kosovo.[22] Serbia also joined a U.S.-led statement in 2024 calling for Hamas to release Israeli hostages.[15]

At the July 2025 Belgrade Strategic Dialogue conference, Đurić affirmed strong political will to deepen Serbia’s ties with Israel and the United States.[23] He connected that partnership to economic growth, security, innovation, and Serbia’s international standing, and pledged support for future trilateral initiatives in Belgrade.[23] In April 2026, Đurić and Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar launched the first Israel–Serbia strategic dialogue in Jerusalem.[4] Sa’ar thanked Serbia and Vučić for their support since the October 7, 2023 attacks.[4]

Bilateral trade reached a record $199.2 million in 2024, with Serbian exports increasing by 75.2% and imports increasing by 40.9%.[3] The countries announced plans to pursue a free-trade agreement during Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s 2024 visit to Belgrade, although no such agreement was in force at the time of that account.[3] Their April 2026 strategic dialogue advanced the agenda through announced free-trade negotiations, a Joint Economic Committee, an Israel–Serbia Chamber of Commerce, and permanent Israeli economic representation in Belgrade.[4] The accompanying discussions covered defense, tourism, agriculture, and trade.[23]

Investment cooperation has an earlier institutional foundation.[24] In 2004, Israel initialed an investment-protection and promotion agreement with Serbia and Montenegro, intended to protect investors against discrimination and provide a framework for consensual arbitration of foreign-investment disputes.[24] By 2023, a bilateral investment treaty between Israel and Serbia was in force.[25]

Israeli companies had invested almost $3 billion in Serbia since 2000, particularly in real estate, shopping centers, and renewable energy.[5] Serbian science and technology parks and start-ups also networked with Israeli accelerators and innovation organizations.[5] Educational connections included postdoctoral students at the Weizmann Institute and Ben-Gurion University.[5] Direct flights between Tel Aviv and Belgrade had reached thirteen per week starting in 2016, supporting travel and commercial contact.[5]

Defense cooperation expanded substantially after October 2023.[3] Vučić said that Serbia responded to an Israeli request for defense supplies soon after October 7 and assembled the requested items within four days.[3] Serbian arms exports to Israel reached €42.3 million in 2024, approximately thirty times the previous year’s figure.[3] In July 2024 alone, the state-owned arms trader Yugoimport-SDPR exported more than $8 million in arms to Israel, while five Israeli military flights traveled from Belgrade to an airbase near Be’er Sheva.[23] Serbian supplies during the Gaza war included munitions such as 155 mm artillery shells.[26]

Purchases also flowed in the opposite direction.[26] A contract signed in late 2024 provided for Serbia’s Ministry of Defense to acquire long-range rockets and Hermes 900 unmanned aircraft from Elbit Systems for $335 million.[26] In August 2025, a separate $1.63 billion Elbit contract was identified as a Serbian procurement, although the company had not initially named the purchasing country.[27] The reported package included Hermes 900 aircraft, long-range precision missiles, electronic-warfare systems, and command-and-control platforms, supporting Serbia’s military-modernization program.[27]

The larger agreement was described as a five-year contract with a broad range of capabilities.[28] Its reported components included precision long-range artillery rockets, unmanned systems for intelligence gathering and attack, personal drones, and intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance systems.[28] It also covered intelligence processing, electro-optical and night-vision equipment, battlefield-vehicle upgrades and protection, military digitization, and battlefield communications.[28]

In April 2026, Vučić announced a strategic partnership for joint production of advanced combat drones through cooperation between Elbit Systems and Serbia’s SDPR.[23] The announcement envisaged a new factory with majority Israeli ownership as part of Serbia’s efforts to modernize its military and deepen defense ties with Israel.[23] In May 2026, Serbian minister Nemanja Starović said trade, commerce, and defense cooperation had intensified, and described the strategic dialogue and foundations for a free-trade agreement as elements of the effort to advance relations.[29] By late October 2026, a jointly established drone plant near Belgrade had been inaugurated, although a contemporaneous report noted uncertainty over whether Serbia’s incoming leadership would maintain the previous government’s approach to security ties with Israel.[26]

Serbia’s February 2016 restitution law addressed Holocaust-era confiscated property for which no living legal heirs remained.[5] It provided compensation to Jewish communities and support for Holocaust survivors, social welfare, research, education, commemoration, and the continuation of Jewish religious and cultural life.[5] At least 20% of revenues during the law’s first decade were designated to assist Serbian Holocaust survivors living either in Serbia or abroad.[5]

Holocaust remembrance became an explicit subject of engagement involving Serbian officials and Jewish representatives.[30] In May 2017, World Jewish Congress CEO Robert Singer met Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Ivica Dačić to discuss closer cooperation, remembrance, and Serbia’s relations with Israel.[30] Singer praised the restitution law, while Dačić linked recognition of Jewish contributions to Serbia and prevention of historical revision to the strengthening of bilateral relations.[30]

In February 2020, Serbia’s National Assembly passed legislation creating the Staro Sajmište Memorial Center at the site of a former Nazi concentration camp and mass murder.[5] The center was established in 2022, with work focused on restoration and organizational development.[5] Together with restitution measures and commemorative diplomacy, the memorial initiative forms part of the relationship’s engagement with Jewish history and the Holocaust.[5][30]

Jewish communities in the post-Yugoslav region have also served as connections to Israel and diaspora communities, attracting governmental interest in investment and political relationships.[8] The continuing links of Serbian Jews to Israel, alongside migration after the Holocaust, give the bilateral relationship a communal dimension beyond embassy-level diplomacy.[1][8] More recent educational, entrepreneurial, and tourism exchanges have added further channels of direct contact.[5]

In May 2026, Starović described people-to-people relations as “really blossoming” and said the countries had significantly aligned their foreign policies.[29] That assessment accompanied concrete initiatives in trade and strategic dialogue, as well as expanded security cooperation, rather than the resolution of every outstanding political difference.[29]

Kosovo’s status and Serbia’s unfulfilled Jerusalem embassy pledge have been the principal recent diplomatic disputes.[15][9] Belgrade maintained that relocation depended on Israel respecting Serbia’s position, while the planned 2021 move never occurred.[23][15] The European Union also warned that relocation could conflict with its common position on Jerusalem and damage Serbia’s membership prospects.[23]

Serbian arms transfers to Israel during the Gaza war drew criticism, including objections over transparency and the Ministry of Trade’s rejection of requests for information about export permits.[23] Vučić acknowledged that Serbia faced criticism for supplying ammunition.[3]

Historical interpretations of Serbian-Jewish solidarity have also differed.[6] A later scholarly account characterized the Serbian-Jewish Friendship Society as government-supported and involved in wartime propaganda, and stated that Serbian Jewish institutions did not support its activities.[6] The same study distinguished Yugoslavia’s forceful anti-Israel policy from antisemitism, describing antisemitism presented as anti-Zionism as being of limited importance.[6]