No political or public pressure will change the decision, the Croatian president's office has stressed

Croatian President Zoran Milanovic has refused to approve Israel's new ambassador to Zagreb, citing disagreements with the Israeli government's actions.

The presidential office announced the decision on Monday.

"The proposed Ambassador of the State of Israel has not received, nor will he receive, the consent of the President of the Republic Zoran Milanovic due to the policies pursued by the current Israeli authorities," it said in a statement.

Israel deviated from established diplomatic norms by announcing their proposed ambassador before he was approved by the Croatian president, it added. "Public or political pressure, in this case from the Israeli side, will not alter the President of the Republic's decision."

The term of Israel's current ambassador to Zagreb, Gary Koren, expires at the end of the May. Israeli diplomat Nisan Amdor, whom West Jerusalem last year selected to replace him, will instead arrive in Croatia next month as charge d'affaires, a post not requiring presidential approval, Ynet reported on Monday.

Milanovic and Koren have feuded in recent months, with the president summoning the Israeli ambassador after the latter made comments suggesting that Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) could be conducting espionage activities from within the Iranian Embassy in Zagreb. "We don't want other people's infections and germs in Croatia, neither Iranian nor Israeli," Milanovic said in March after the incident.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar responded by accusing the president of using "hate-filled language about Israel and Zionism."

Milanovic has long been sharply critical of the Israeli government, accusing it of carrying out "bestial war crimes" in its military operation in Gaza. The enclave's authorities say the war has left nearly 73,000 Palestinians dead since its onset in October 2023, when Hamas attacked Israel, killing around 1,200 people and kidnapping more than 250.

Moscow has also been critical of the Israeli blockade and bombing of the Palestinian enclave, likening it to collective punishment of both Hamas and the local civilian population. The only way out the crisis is to enact a two-state solution, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said.