Serbian Ambassador Djuric says Hamas holds his cousin

Djuric lived in Israel with his family in the 1990s. He said that the attack on Israel by Hamas was very personal for his family because his cousin Alon Ahel (23 – a dual Israeli/Serbian national) was kidnapped. “Since then, together with the entire family and good people who are prepared to help, including from the Serbian and Israeli governments, we have been working 24/7 to try to get him back. Alon is a gifted young pianist with a great talent and pure soul, known widely for helping others. According to eyewitness accounts, he was trying to help his friends at the music festival, risking his life during the attack,” Djuric said. The Ambassador said that he and Ahel had the same great-grandfather who immigrated from the Serbian city of Novi Sad in 1941.

“The highest Serbian officials have unequivocally condemned the terrorist attack by Hamas. It is a matter of principle for Serbia. But let us not forget that for the Serbs, the Jewish people also represent a friendly, even brotherly, nation. In addition, Hamas is known in Serbia for sending terrorist “volunteers” against the Serbs during the Yugoslav wars of the 1990s,” Djuric said.

He said that Serbia is unlike many other European nations because antisemitism is rare. “There is no underlying cultural bias against the Jews. On the contrary. If we can generalize, the Jews are looked upon with respect and are seen as brothers and sisters in suffering,” he said.

Djuric said that Israel’s recognition of Kosovo was a blow to their relations but “relations between Serbs and Jews are so strong and well founded that I can proudly say that we are continuing to develop our relations in so many spheres again, and I am convinced we will continue to do so at an even greater pace”. “Serbia sees Israel as one of its close friends,” Djuric said adding that Isreal’s recognition of Kosovo suspended plans to move the Serbian embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.