Bosnia and Herzegovina does not support the murders of innocent civilians in Gaza committed by Israeli military forces, Bosniak member of Bosnia's tripartite Presidency said on Sunday in response to a tweet by Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu who expressed gratitude to Israel's supporters, mentioning among other countries Bosnia and Herzegovina as well.

“Thank you for resolutely standing with Israel and supporting our right to self defense against terrorist attacks,” Israel's senior official wrote on his Twitter, alongside the flags of 25 countries including those of the United States, Germany, Canada, Austria, Czechia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Responding to the tweet, Dzaferovic called for a ceasefire and urged the Israeli PM to give his contribution to “establishing the peace for the people of Palestine and Israel.”

The message comes amidst fierce confrontations between Palestine and Israel, which left dozens of civilians dead and while the cities across the world are holding peaceful protests calling for a ceasefire.

One of the gatherings was held in the capital city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, where a group of citizens walked the streets carrying the flags of BiH and Palestine, saying they were expressing support to Palestinians.

Also, the Sarajevo City Administration displayed the Palestinian flag on its landmark City Hall, as a sign of solidarity with “all innocent victims and their families,” as the mayor's message said.

Vijećnica je večeras obojena palestinskom zastavom, u znak solidarnosti sa svim nevinim žrtvama i njihovim porodicama.
??❤?? pic.twitter.com/PoJ3ITDzKw

— Benjamina Karić (@BenjaminaKaric) May 10, 2021

But, despite the messages from the capital city, the country seems to be divided on the matter.

While the support to Palestinian civilians in Sarajevo can be seen as support from the Bosnia's Bosniak-Croat shared Federation entity – where the capital is located, or at least a part of its population that clearly voiced the support, the Serb-dominated region Republika Srpska (RS) showed it was standing with Israel. Its main institution in Banja Luka, the second-largest city in the country, displayed the flag of Israel the other evening.

N1

The Serb member of Bosnia's Presidency Milorad Dodik said on that occasion it was Hamas that triggers conflicts in that region.

“It is the fact that some are constantly encouraging Palestine to get everything there instead of accepting that two states are formed for those two nations and that it is dominantly an agreement between Jews, Israelis, and Palestinians,” he said.