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Serbia will not honor its promise and move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem if Israel recognizes Kosovo’s independence, an anonymous source close to the Serbian government told the Times of Israel, adding that Israel’s recognition of Kosovo’s independence would “destroy” the relations of the Jewish state with Serbia.
“It could end in total chaos, if there is no compromise on what kind of relationship Israel will have with Kosovo,” said the Times of Israel source, who insisted on anonymity.
The source said diplomatic relations with Kosovo were “one thing”, and that recognizing the independence of a state was “something else entirely” and noted that Israeli recognition of Kosovo would “destroy” relations between Serbia and Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday that Israel and Kosovo had decided “to establish full diplomatic relations between the two countries.”
The Times of Israel source, who claims to have met Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić several times in recent days, including after negotiations in Washington, noted that “some kind of diplomatic relations” between Jerusalem and Pristina would be “acceptable”, but that this does not imply the recognition of Kosovo as a sovereign state.
“Furthermore, such a move by Israel would damage the close relations between Israel and Serbia, and they would never be the same again. It is simply so. The people of Israel must understand that,” the source said.
When asked if Serbia tacitly agreed to allow Kosovo and Israel to establish relations, the source stressed that the two parties had signed separate documents.
“The document that Vučić signed does not say anything about the Israeli recognition of Kosovo,” the source concluded.
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