A day after Operation Guardian of the Walls began in May 2021, Sarajevo's new mayor, Binyamina Karic, tweeted enthusiastically: "The city hall was lit up tonight with the Palestinian flag as a sign of solidarity with all the innocent victims and their families." Now, two years later, Karic, a Bosnian-Muslim and member of the Social Democratic Party of Bosnia-Herzegovina, finds herself in the middle of political-political entanglement over her refusal to project the Israeli flag on that city hall. The official reason for the refusal: The town hall is a national heritage site with political symbols forbidden on its façade.
The background to the entanglement of the mayor of Sarajevo is an initiative to mark 75 years since the establishment of the State of Israel. Last December, Karic participated in the International Conference of Mayors held in Jerusalem, and returned enthusiastically after Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Leon told her that her city is considered "the Jerusalem of the Balkans."
Pro-Palestinian demonstrations in Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina capital
In a subsequent meeting with Israel's ambassador to Albania and Bosnia-Herzegovina, Galit Peleg, Karic asked how to strengthen awareness of Sarajevo's image as "the Jerusalem of the Balkans." Ambassador Peleg suggested starting by hosting an event marking 75 years of Israel at City Hall. This is a magnificent building, which served as a national library until the civil war in the country, but during the siege of Sarajevo, it was severely damaged in bombardments by Serbian forces, which caused the burning of about two million books kept in the library. After the end of the war, the building was renovated and became a town hall. As part of the event marking 75 years of Israeli independence, it was planned to project the Israeli flag on the front of the building, just as the Palestinian flag was projected on it two years ago.
Two days before the event, which was supposed to take place in the presence of senior representatives of the various communities in Bosnia-Herzegovina, the Israeli embassy was informed that it would not be possible to project the Israeli flag on the front of the municipality. The embassy was also informed that it would not be possible to use fireworks at the event. Karic refused to respond to requests from Ambassador Peleg for clarification. Because of this, it was decided at the last minute to move the event to the Jewish Community House in Sarajevo, where it was held in the presence of all the local dignitaries - except for Karić, who decided to boycott the event. A few days after the event, the Olympic Committee flag was projected on the façade of the city hall on the occasion of International Olympic Day.
Prime Minister of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Head of the Federation alongside the Israeli Ambassador during a ceremony marking 75 years of Israel,
Karic's decision not to project the Israeli flag on the façade of the city hall, which was made under pressure from radical Bosnian Muslim elements, drew much criticism of the mayor, including in the local media. Karic tried to defend herself by saying that she had nothing against Israel, and the problem was not the projection of the flag but "the playing of the occupation song 'Jerusalem of Gold.'" As a last resort, Karic decided to pass an official resolution in the municipality prohibiting the display of political symbols on the façade of the city hall except on national holidays and commemorations in Bosnia. "There are a lot of buildings in this city that can be smoked for the purpose of displaying political symbols, you have to allow the town hall to enjoy its beauty," Karic explained.
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