THE ALLIANCE BETWEEN ISRAEL AND CROATIA’S FASCISTS IS STRONGER THAN EVER

Marko Perkovic Thompson’s Half Million Fascist Concert

 

On September 14, 2022, Tony Greenstein and I wrote an article on attempts by Croatia to impose anti-Semitic election laws on Bosnia and Herzegovina.(5)

The Dayton Peace Accords, signed in November 1995, brought the war of aggression on Bosnia and Herzegovina by Serbia and Croatia to an end. The accords divided Bosnia and Herzegovina into two administrative units, pledging equal rights for its ‘constituent peoples’ (Bosniaks, Bosnian Serbs, and Bosnian Croats) and ‘others’.  As outlined in the Dayton Peace Accords, the country’s Presidency consists of three members, each coming from one of the three ‘constituent peoples’ but each representing all of the Bosnian citizens. The current election laws prevent members of the Bosnian Jewish community and those who identify as ‘others’ from running for President.

Croatia is asking a genocidal supremacist entity for help with "equality" in Bosnia.

By equality they mean 2:1 power "sharing" i.e. two desirable fascist parties among Bosnian Croats and Serbs to overpower the Bosniak majority and other normal Bosnians.https://t.co/ydhfggdyVu

— Aida A. (@_truthtopower) July 15, 2025

For the past five years the neighbouring Croatia keeps persevering in imposing new discriminatory, antisemitic and fascist election laws on one of the two Bosnian entities, the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. That would inevitably lead to having a ‘third entity’ emerging within Bosnia and Herzegovina with an overwhelming Bosnian Croat majority. That new ‘entity’ would subsequently cede from Bosnia and Herzegovina to join Croatia. It is in line with the same World War 2 ideology pursued by the Nazi collaborators, the infamous Croat Ustaše, which included creating Greater Croatia by carving up Bosnia and Herzegovina. 

In the wake of recent events, I decided to revisit the article referred to above which addressed the contentious issue of Croatia’s proposed antisemitic election law for Bosnia and Herzegovina.(5) The law, which Croatia envisions implementing under the guise of (allegedly) safeguarding the interests of Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina, has garnered significant attention again.

In our article we endeavoured to provide historical context for Croatia’s political trajectory, including its WW2 legacy, and shed light on its actions during the War of Aggression on Bosnia and Herzegovina in the 1990s. (5)

We highlighted Croatia’s involvement in this conflict for which it was subsequently prosecuted by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and ruled guilty of committing ‘joint criminal enterprise’ on Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is the same Croatian policy that now continues to be the framework for pursuing such election laws for Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Such laws are seeking to ensure that only Croats can vote for an ethnic Croat candidate to be a member of the Bosnian Presidency, which would preclude all other Croats, not considered by HDZ, the Croatian nationalist party, in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and the HDZ party headquarters in Zagreb, Croatia to be ‘pure-bred’, as well as Jews and others from ever running for the Presidency. This would go against numerous judgements made by the European Court of Human Rights (EHRC), including the one (Sejdic-Finci v Bosnia and Herzegovina) that concluded that the current election laws discriminate against Jews and Roma.

Imagine now that Croatia is seeking to make those existing election laws even worse by wanting to have only ‘pure-bred’ Croats who would be elected by only Croats voting for them! This would not only exclude Bosnian Jews from running for the Presidency but also from voting for a Bosnian Croat candidate for the Presidency, the right they have been granted by the existing election laws. Such an election law would be antisemitic in all its respects.

Regrettably, three years have passed since the publication of our article of September 14, 2022, and Croatia has not relinquished its pursuit of implementing the antisemitic election law. (5)

The laws’ proponents argue that it will ensure the ‘legitimate representation’ once there are only those considered to be ‘pure-bred’ Croats running for the Bosnian Presidency. As previously mentioned, the HDZ BiH party, under the direction of its headquarters in Zagreb, Croatia will determine who meets this criterion to run and subsequently represent Croats in Bosnia.

Croatian Prime Minister says that ‘only Thomson could bring together half a million people’ while the Thomson’s concert audience passionately raises their hands in a fascist salute and praise concentration camp Jasenovac in their songs

Given the nature of such election laws and prospects of those being imposed on Bosnia and Herzegovina by Croatia, it is crucial to acknowledge its potential implications. The implementation of such election laws could have far-reaching consequences and raise concerns about the perpetuation of discriminatory practices and creation of an apartheid state at the heart of Europe.

The politics pursued by Croatia since the 1990’s remain the same despite it being adjudicated for committing ‘joint criminal enterprise’ on Bosnia and Herzegovina.

In the past few years, it seems to be becoming even more aggressive and radical, and more open in demonstrating these traits in public. This is the same politics pursued by Croatia in World War II – the ideology of the Ustaše movement, which included the creation of Greater Croatia. This time, rather than taking the whole of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia seems willing to ‘settle’ for taking almost half.

Founded in 1929, the Ustashas were pro-German Croatian fascists who imprisoned, tortured, and committed genocide against ethnic minorities during World War II. Their brutal actions shocked even the Wehrmacht. The Croatian Ustashas imprisoned, tortured, and killed over 30,000 Jews in concentration camps like Jasenovac (also known as the ‘Auschwitz of the Balkans’), Lepoglava, and Stara Gradiska.

Croatia’s plans, as outlined in the antisemitic, discriminatory and fascist election laws they keep trying to impose on Bosnia and Herzegovina, would result in the creation of small, unliveable ghettos for the Bosniaks, the ethnic group comprising 51% of the country’s population. This would also include members of the Jewish community and other groups, as well as all Serbs and Croats who oppose the policy of ethnic divide, apartheid, and fascism.

And although the legacy of the WWII Croatian Ustashas’ ideology continues to influence Croatia’s policy today, Croatia recently publicly announced that it had received support from Israel in its efforts to enact antisemitic election laws in its neighbouring country, Bosnia and Herzegovina. (1)

This is not the first time Israel has provided support to Croatia for the same antisemitic election laws. They did it in 2022, as we discussed this in our article of September 14, 2022. (5) That time, the information about the support was ‘leaked’, while this time it was announced openly and proudly.

Good meeting my friend Croatian FM @grlicradman on the sidelines of the EU-Southern Neighbourhood Ministerial Meeting in Brussels.
We discussed regional issues in the Middle East and Southeast Europe. I thanked him for Croatia's friendship and support.
Israel firmly believes… pic.twitter.com/r9yM1qt1fz

— Gideon Sa'ar | גדעון סער (@gidonsaar) July 15, 2025

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar also publiclyacknowledged a ‘good meeting’ with their ‘Croatian friend’ in Brussels in his tweet on X on July 15, 2025. However, his remarks deviated from the principles outlined in the Dayton Peace Accords. He referred to ‘constituent peoples’ while omitting ‘citizens and others,’ which are all included in the Dayton Peace Accords. Additionally, he mentioned ‘power sharing,’ which is neither present in the Dayton Peace Accords nor the Bosnian political system. Despite these blunders (whether deliberate or not), Sa’ar subsequently expressed his full support for the (antisemitic) election law, stating:

 “This must be accompanied by a strong commitment to the principles of power-sharing, both in the structure of governance and in the necessary reform of the country’s electoral legislation.”

Such support could not have come at a more opportune moment as the European Union was grappling with the aftermath of a music concert in Zagreb, Croatia, which took place only ten days prior, on July 5th, 2025.

The concert was performed by Marko Perkovic Thompson, a popular far-right Croatian singer who evoked disturbing memories of the notorious Croatian Ustashas.

At the recent concert of July 5, 2025, half a million Croats enthusiastically raised their hands in the fascist salute, screaming ‘Za dom spremni’ from the top of their lungs. Some of the attendees even sang songs about the Jasenovac concentration camp, where they were responsible for the systematic murder of Jews and other victims. Despite the presence of the police, no action was taken.

Notably, Marko Perkovic Thompson appeared on stage fully dressed in a black Ustashas uniform, bearing the prison number of the notorious Ustasha terrorist Zdenko Busic.

In response to the incident, the European Commission strongly condemned the fascist salute (‘Za dom spremni’) and other Ustashas insignia that were displayed at the concert.

When responding to the European Commission’s statement, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic expressed his inability to discern any contentious points within the Brussels-based document. This stance is unsurprising, given his willingness to engage in a handshake with the “singer” and pose for a photograph with him.(4)

Plenković, attempted to downplay the message from the European Commission. However, the European Commission responded condemning any expression of fascism reminiscent of Europe’s darkest chapters. In contrast, the Croatian Minister of Internal Affairs viewed the concert as a “celebration of patriotism, unity, and values.” (4)

Austria’s investigative authorities are currently examining the concert materials, particularly looking for those individuals who purchased tickets for Tomson’s concert  in Austria. Given the sale of 18,000 tickets in Austria, some are saying that those who live and work in Austria could have their work permits revoked and be deported back to Croatia if found to have attended the concert.

The Croatian Prime Minister’s assertion that “only Tomson could bring together half a million people” serves as a stark reflection of the political climate in Croatia and the pervasive presence of fascist ideology all over it.

It is in light of the condemnation of the concert by Marko Perkovic Thomson in Zagreb of 5th July 2025,and an uproar from across Europe, and what seems to be the prevailing political ideology reminiscent of WW2 in Croatia, that the Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar found it acceptable to voice the  support of Israel to Croatia in its endeavours to impose antisemitic election laws on its neighbouring country, Bosnia and Herzegovina, only some ten days after the concert by Marko Perkovic Thomson took place (on 15th July 2025). Indeed, the nature of the Croatian politics hasn’t changed since Israel lent Croatia a hand of support to pursue anti-Semitic election laws for Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2022. It has only become more aggressive and radical, and more transparent in showing it to the world outside Croatia to see.

Israel was heavily criticised in the Israel media (The Times of Israel, Jerusalem Post) for supporting Croatia in pursuit of anti-Semitic election laws for Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2022- the criticism that was addressed in Tony Greenstein’s and my article of September 14, 2022

Should it be perplexing that, after all, the two countries could be allies? One can conclude, yet again and as we said in our article of September 14, 2022, that the alliance between Israel and the HDZ proves that Zionist Anti-Semitism remains as strong as ever!

1. https://x.com/gidonsaar/status/1945040569543037218?s=462.

2. https://www.index.hr/amp/vijesti/clanak/ek-reagirala-na-plenkovica-i-thompsonov-koncert-plenkovic-to-je-uopcena-reakcija/2688576.aspx3.

3. https://www.euronews.ba/region/aktuelno/28764/plenkovic-thompson-jedini-danas-moze-dovesti-pola-miliona-ljudi-u-hrvatsku4. https://youtu.be/dNUC-iHnKXI5. 4.

4. https://www.rtvbn.com/4079049/austrijanci-cesljaju-snimke-sa-tompsonovog-koncerta

5. 14 September 2022 https://azvsas.blogspot.com/2022/09/why-is-israel-supporting-law-proposed.html