Israel and Serbia deepen their alliance through a Landmark Conference on U.S., Central and Eastern European ties and security

Israel and Serbia are quietly building one of the most significant strategic partnerships in the region, with the United States playing an increasingly important role in that process. The highest level of bilateral relations between Israel and Serbia has already resulted in the organization of important multilateral events that convey significant political messages.

One such event was held at the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia in Belgrade, just ahead of the launch of the Serbia–United States Strategic Dialogue, while a similar strategic dialogue between Israel and Serbia is already underway.

Political leaders, security experts, Holocaust scholars, innovation entrepreneurs and religious leaders from Israel, the United States, and the countries of Central and Eastern Europe took part in the three-day conference entitled "Partners in a Changing World: Central and Eastern Europe, America, Israel and the New Middle East."

The conference was organized by the Serbian-American Friendship Congress under the auspices of the Speaker of the National Assembly of Serbia, Ana Brnabic, and featured numerous distinguished speakers.

Lee Rosenberg, Honorary Chairman of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), opened the conference with a discussion on the alliance between the United States and Israel and its importance for the countries of Central and Eastern Europe.

He explained in detail why the United States and Israel maintain the closest possible strategic partnership, how Israel directly advances American interests through intelligence sharing, military cooperation and technological innovation, and stressed that countries in Central and Eastern Europe which deepen their partnership with Israel simultaneously strengthen their relations with the United States.

Aleksandar Nikolic, Honorary Consul of Serbia in Israel, who has contributed to the development of diplomatic and trade relations between the two countries, emphasized the importance of further advancing Serbian-Israeli cooperation.

"We hope there will be even more Members of Congress who understand how important Serbia is to the United States," Rosenberg said, expressing support for the deepening of the strategic dialogue between Washington and Belgrade.

The participants were also addressed through video messages by Israeli President Isaac Herzog, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar, and Speaker of the Knesset Amir Ohana.

President Herzog praised Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic for supporting Israel "both in words and in deeds" following the October 7 attacks, highlighting what he described as Vucic's "long-term understanding of geopolitical developments in the Middle East."

He also emphasized that Jews and Serbs are united by shared suffering and shared historical tragedy.

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar stated that "true friendship is demonstrated in difficult times" and that "the people of Israel will never forget the support of the Serbian people after October 7."

Speaker of the Knesset Amir Ohana said that "Israel will never forget Serbia's support and friendship after October 7," recalling that President Donald Trump had stood firmly with Israel and emphasizing that the United States, Israel and Serbia stand together at this pivotal moment.

The conference program was organized into four interconnected thematic tracks through plenary sessions, panel discussions and field visits.

The first theme, "What Central and Eastern Europe Needs to Know About the United States and the Changing Middle East," focused on the enduring U.S.-Israel alliance and its strategic importance for the countries of Central and Eastern Europe.

The second theme, "Memory and Moral Leadership – The Holocaust, Genocide and Historical Accuracy," addressed Holocaust remembrance and historical responsibility in Central and Eastern Europe.

The third theme, "Strategic Partners – The Role of Central and Eastern Europe in Middle Eastern Diplomacy, Security and the Abraham Accords," explored the diplomatic and security dimensions of Central and Eastern European engagement in the Middle East, including the opportunities created by the Abraham Accords and the implications of rapidly evolving developments concerning Iran.

The fourth theme, "Innovation and the Start-Up Nation Model – What Central and Eastern Europe Can Learn from and Build Together with Israel," focused on innovation and economic cooperation between Israel and the countries of Central and Eastern Europe.

The panel on Holocaust remembrance and moral leadership, which the author of this article had the honor of chairing, brought together Dani Dayan, Chairman of Yad Vashem, who addressed participants via video message and praised Serbia for its role in the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) as well as for establishing the Staro Sajmiste Memorial Center in Belgrade; Dr. Efraim Zuroff, who served for 39 years as Director of the Jerusalem Office of the Simon Wiesenthal Center; Helise Lieberman, Executive Director of the Taube Center for Jewish Life and Learning in Warsaw; and Dr. Krinka Vidakovic Petrov, Director of the Staro Sajmiste Memorial Center.

The panelists stressed the importance of preserving the memory of the Holocaust and teaching it accurately throughout Central and Eastern Europe, warning that the distortion of historical facts relating to the Holocaust remains a serious challenge in parts of the region. Vidakovic Petrov also criticized the relativization and misuse of the term "genocide."

The panel on security and diplomacy featured Ilan Berman, Senior Vice President of the American Foreign Policy Council; Jonathan Spyer, Senior Research Fellow at the Middle East Forum; Daniel Moldoveanu, former Director of Romania's National Intelligence Service; and Zoran Jolevski, former Minister of Defence and former Ambassador of North Macedonia to the United States.

The panelists jointly examined the strategic importance of Central and Eastern Europe for both the United States and Israel, reviewed the framework of the Abraham Accords and their regional implications, and discussed the rapidly evolving situation in the Middle East following the collapse of the U.S.-Iran Memorandum of Understanding.

The panel on innovation and economic partnership brought together Saul Singer, co-author of Start-Up Nation and well known to readers of The Jerusalem Post, where he served as Opinion Editor and columnist from 1996 to 2008; Wendy Singer, founder of Start-Up Nation Central; and Marko Cadez, President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia.

The panel concluded that the countries of Central and Eastern Europe possess strong development potential, highly skilled engineering talent, well-developed diaspora networks and proximity to Israeli and American markets, making them natural and well-positioned partners for Israel's innovation economy. At the same time, participants observed that Israel needs precisely what the region has to offer—large numbers of highly qualified engineers, manufacturing capacity, access to European markets and dependable political partners.

Saul and Wendy Singer argued that partnerships with Israel can and should serve as a bridge to the American venture capital ecosystem and the U.S. market for companies from Central and Eastern Europe, describing this as an underutilized opportunity that deserves systematic development. They added that the partnership is genuinely reciprocal, as Israel stands to benefit greatly from access to the region's engineering capabilities and its rich pool of innovation talent and ideas.

They encouraged Serbia to make full use of its hosting of EXPO 2027 Belgrade, which will bring together representatives from 150 countries and thousands of businesses from around the world, as an opportunity to convene startup leaders from Israel and other countries and further accelerate innovation cooperation between Serbia and Israel.

Marko Cadez presented the development of Serbian-Israeli economic relations, noting that the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia opened a representative office in Jerusalem in 2021, after which bilateral trade between the two countries quadrupled.

The conference was also addressed by Bishop Dositej, Vicar Bishop to Serbian Patriarch Porfirije and Military Bishop of the Serbian Armed Forces, speaking on behalf of the Patriarch. He emphasized the Judeo-Christian ties that form the foundation of the partnership the conference sought to strengthen, as well as the deep historical bonds between the Serbian Orthodox Church, the Jewish people and the Land of Israel.

Members of the United States Congress also addressed the conference through video messages. Congressmen Josh Gottheimer and Tracey Mann highlighted the importance of the partnership among the United States, Israel and the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, noting that Serbia has provided exceptional support to Israel since October 7, 2023.

The conference concluded with a visit to the Staro Sajmiste Memorial Center, linking the conference's focus on remembrance with one of Europe's least-known Holocaust sites. The former Belgrade Fairgrounds, built in 1937, served as the site of a concentration camp during the Second World War.

Although located on the territory of the then Independent State of Croatia, the camp was established and administered by the German occupation authorities operating from neighboring occupied Serbia, across the Sava River, between 1941 and 1944. During its first phase, it served as a detention camp for Jewish women, children and elderly men (Judenlager Semlin, from December 1941 to May 1942), many of whom were murdered in gas vans. In its second phase, the camp was used primarily for the imprisonment of Serbian civilians and members of the resistance movement.

Vladimir Marinkovic, President of the Serbian-American Friendship Congress, concluded that the alliance among Serbia, Israel and the United States is founded on shared democratic values and common strategic interests.

Commenting on the recent visit to Belgrade by United Nations Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese, who accused Serbia of "shamelessly" cooperating with Israel and being one of its "strongest and most determined allies," Marinkovic said that while she intended it as criticism, he regarded it as a compliment.

Written for The Jerusalem Post by Aleksandar Nikolic, Member of the Board of the Consular Corps of Israel and Honorary Consul of Serbia in Israel