President Milorad Dodik, the leader of Republika Srpska (Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Serb-run region), said in Jerusalem on Wednesday that there are “many” similarities between his country and Israel—and between himself and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Asked by JNS if he saw any parallels, he responded: “There are many. Both of our peoples face constant attempts to deny their right to exist and decide independently. Both Prime Minister Netanyahu and I are being targeted—not because we’ve done something wrong, but because we won’t bow down. When they can’t defeat you in elections, they try to remove you by other means. But the people see and understand—and that is our strength.”
Dodik, 66, was in Israel this week in a show of solidarity and to attend the International Conference on Combating Antisemitism in Jerusalem on March 27. In an exclusive interview with JNS at his Jerusalem hotel a day before the conference, Dodik discussed his steadfast support for Israel, which he called “a country whose strength, history and resolve I deeply respect,” antisemitism and his precarious political predicament.
On February 26, a court in Sarajevo sentenced Dodik to a year in prison and banned him from politics for six years over his separatist actions after a year-long trial on charges that he had disobeyed the top international envoy overseeing peace in Bosnia, Christian Schmidt. Dodik brushed off the sentence, which is pending appeal, defiantly enacting laws to ban state-level security and judicial bodies in early March and threatening Republika Srpska’s secession.
“I won’t step aside,” he told JNS. “Only the people have the right to decide who leads them—not foreign judges and staged trials.”
The US-sponsored Dayton Accords in 1995 ended a bloody three-year war that began when the country’s Serbs rebelled against independence from the former Yugoslavia, creating two regions, Republika Srpska and the Bosniak-Croat Federation. Under the Accords, Bosnia has a rotating three-member presidency composed of Bosnian, Serb and Croat members.
Dodik, a veteran politician who supports both Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump, is close to Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who wrote on X: “The political witch-hunt against President @MiloradDodik is a sad example of the weaponization of the legal system aimed at a democratically elected leader.”
In a statement he posted on X in English after his arrival in Israel, Dodik wrote: “Israel stands as a testament to the fact that freedom and security are beyond price—and that a nation with a clear and unwavering sense of identity will never consent to being either a target or a subordinate.”
He added: “Just as Israel defends itself without apology, so too does the Republic of Srpska defend its right to exist, to decide its own course, and to preserve the legacy of its forebears. The Serbs and the Jews are peoples that others have sought to annihilate—and yet they endured. That is why we understand one another. And that is why we stand together.”
During his trip, Dodik visited Yad Vashem, met Israeli leaders and toured the south of the country. After a meeting with farmer Avida Bachar, who lost his wife, Dana, his 15-year-old son, Carmel, and one of his legs in the Oct. 7 massacre, Dodik voiced concern over the fate of Serbian-Israeli hostage Alon Ohel, 24, who remains in Hamas captivity.
While visiting the Nova Music Festival memorial site, Dodik and his entourage witnessed the Iron Dome intercept a rocket from Gaza “right above our heads,” a member of the delegation told JNS.
JNS: President Dodik, why did you decide to come to Israel at this time?
Because I believe that in difficult times, true friends reveal themselves. Israel is going through serious challenges but shows determination that inspires me. I came to send a message of support to a people who know what it means to fight for their freedom. And to confirm that Republika Srpska understands and respects that struggle, as we have been leading our own for more than three decades.
JNS: How do you explain your strong support for Israel, especially now?
It’s not a political pose—it’s a sincere conviction. I support Israel because I believe in the right of a people to decide for themselves. I see in the Israeli people the courage to stand tall in the face of pressure and to not ask permission to exist. That is exactly what we seek in Republika Srpska. Supporting Israel is also supporting the principles of freedom, independence, and pride.
JNS What is your view on antisemitism and the situation of the Jews today, in Europe and your country?
Antisemitism is an evil that, unfortunately, did not disappear with the end of World War II. Today, it comes in a new form—often disguised as concern for other causes, but in truth deeply hateful towards Jews and Israel. Europe shows us that it hasn’t learned all the lessons of the past. And that should worry us all.
When we look at what’s happening in Bosnia and Herzegovina, we cannot close our eyes. In the Muslim part of BiH, especially in Sarajevo, there were protests against Israel where flags of Hamas and even ISIS were flying. Those were not messages of peace, but demonstrations of hatred, with strong antisemitic narratives.
No one can justify that, let alone ignore it. In contrast, Republika Srpska and Banja Luka were lit up with Israeli flags, in a sign of solidarity. We don’t divide Jews into “good” and “bad,” and we don’t use double standards. We know what it means to be a victim and how it feels when someone wants to destroy you just for existing. That’s why we have deep respect for the Jewish people, and antisemitism will never have a place in Republika Srpska.
JNS: How are you going to respond to the court’s verdict against you?
A political court delivers political verdicts. By weaponizing the judiciary in Sarajevo, they are trying to achieve what they can’t through elections —to remove Milorad Dodik from politics. I won’t step aside. My response is clear: I move forward, I go to Israel, I go to friends, and everywhere I can defend the interests of the people who elected me. Only the people have the right to decide who leads them—not foreign judges and staged trials.
JNS: Do you see any parallels between your country and Israel, and between you and Prime Minister Netanyahu?
There are many. Both of our peoples face constant attempts to deny their right to exist and decide independently. Both Prime Minister Netanyahu and I are being targeted—not because we’ve done something wrong, but because we won’t bow down. When they can’t defeat you in elections, they try to remove you by other means. But the people see and understand—and that is our strength.
JNS: What is your view of President Trump and the new US administration?
President Trump brought realism and courage into international relations. I respect his willingness to say things others avoid. The new administration is showing some changes, but Republika Srpska is open to dialogue with anyone who respects us and doesn’t come with imposed solutions. Respect is built through dialogue, not blackmail.
JNS: What is your vision for the Middle East and Israel?
Peace—but peace based on respect and reality. Israel must have the right to live without fear, to defend its borders and its people. Solutions imposed from outside that ignore Israeli realities only lead to new problems. If the Middle East has a future, it begins with the security of Israel and its right to choose its own path.
JNS: What are your future plans?
I remain committed to Republika Srpska and its people. Every day, I work to preserve peace, identity and stability. My plan is for Republika Srpska to become stronger, more autonomous and more secure. My political struggle is not personal. It’s a struggle for the right of the people to decide for themselves. And I will never abandon that struggle.
