{"id":4390,"date":"2026-09-17T15:39:42","date_gmt":"2026-09-17T15:39:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=4390"},"modified":"2026-09-17T15:39:42","modified_gmt":"2026-09-17T15:39:42","slug":"kosovos-moves-towards-israel-are-the-price-of-aligning-with-us-policy-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=4390","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Kosovo\u2019s moves towards Israel are the price of aligning with US policy\u2019 | News"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Kosovo, a small majority-Muslim country in the Balkans, has signed up<\/a> to United States President Donald Trump\u2019s controversial Board of Peace<\/a> and the planned International Stabilization Force<\/a>\u00a0for Gaza, after Israel gave its approval.<\/p>\n

The proposed force is, in theory, expected to help maintain security, support demilitarisation and train Palestinian police, though its mandate and composition remain unclear.<\/p>\n

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Recommended Stories <\/h2>\n

list of 4 items<\/span>end of list<\/span><\/section>\n

For Kosovo, the decision has a particular resonance.<\/p>\n

Its statehood and security depend on international support and NATO protection, as well as the right of a population under pressure from a stronger neighbour to decide its own future. It is now joining a Gaza framework whose legitimacy is contested by Palestinian actors and legal experts, and in which Israel retains decisive influence.<\/p>\n

A debt to repay?<\/h2>\n

Kosovo was an autonomous province within Serbia in the former Yugoslavia until Slobodan Milosevic<\/a> stripped it of much of its self-government in 1989. Repression and the political marginalisation of Kosovo Albanians culminated in the 1998-99 war, after the Kosovo Liberation Army launched a rebellion against Serbian and Yugoslav forces.<\/p>\n

Serbian and Yugoslav forces responded with killings, expulsions and mass displacement; more than 10,000 Kosovo Albanian civilians were killed. The Hague tribunal later convicted senior Serbian and Yugoslav officials for war crimes and crimes against humanity. After NATO\u2019s 78-day 1999 air campaign, Serbian and Yugoslav forces withdrew.<\/p>\n

NATO\u2019s KFOR force, Kosovo\u2019s principal external security guarantor, arrived that June.<\/p>\n

\"Kosovar
Kosovar Albanian supporters of Israel hold placards as a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas came into force on May 21, 2021, after 11 days of fighting that pounded the Strip and killed more than 250 Palestinians and 13 Israelis [Armend Nimani\/AFP]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Nexhmedin Spahiu, a university professor and political analyst in Pristina, says Kosovo\u2019s approach to Israel reflects a perceived obligation to Washington and, in his view, to the pro-Israel lobby<\/a> in the US.<\/p>\n

NATO and US intervention, Kosovo\u2019s recognition, and the assistance received from the United States are consequences of the lobby\u2019s \u201cinfluence\u201d, he said. \u201cPeople in Kosovo feel they have a moral debt \u2026 and that is the reason for Kosovo\u2019s approach to Israel.\u201d<\/p>\n

For many Kosovo Albanians, the US is associated with the end of repression, the return of refugees and the conditions that made independence possible.<\/p>\n

With Serbia still refusing to recognise Kosovo and periodic tensions continuing, US backing and NATO deterrence remain central to Pristina\u2019s security.<\/p>\n

\u201cKosovo\u2019s moves towards Israel are the price of aligning with American policy,\u201d Spahiu said. \u201cIt is about repaying old debts.\u201d<\/p>\n

From recognition to partnership<\/h2>\n

Relations with Israel developed within this US-centred logic. Under the Washington agreement of September 2020, Kosovo committed to opening an embassy in Jerusalem. Israel formally recognised Kosovo in February 2021, and Pristina opened its embassy there the following month, becoming the first majority-Muslim country to do so.<\/p>\n

Donika Emini, a research fellow at the University of Graz\u2019s Centre for Southeast European Studies, said recognition was \u201cunquestionably a major diplomatic and political achievement\u201d for Kosovo.<\/p>\n

\"Kosovo
Kosovo Albanians shout slogans and hold banners against violence in Gaza and in support for Palestine during a march in Pristina, Kosovo May 14, 2021 [Laura Hasani\/Reuters]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Israel\u2019s recognition carried strategic value beyond the bilateral relationship. For Pristina, she added, it helped counter the argument used by states with their own territorial disputes that they could not recognise Kosovo, showing that domestic sovereignty concerns need not prevent such a political decision.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe relationship has, therefore, been moving beyond recognition towards a broader strategic partnership,\u201d she said, citing Kosovo\u2019s interest in closer security cooperation with Israel.<\/p>\n

For Kosovo\u2019s leadership, Israel\u2019s recognition was a concrete victory, while the Jerusalem embassy formed part of a package linked to the first Trump administration. Emini said the calculation was also about strengthening its relationship with Washington.<\/p>\n

Artan Muhaxhiri, a Kosovo political analyst, describes this as \u201cproxy politics\u201d: a relationship shaped by, and contingent on, Pristina\u2019s ties with the US rather than an autonomous bilateral policy.<\/p>\n

From security consumer to provider<\/h2>\n

Pristina presents the Gaza role as an opportunity to give back. In March, Prime Minister Albin Kurti said Kosovo was ready to help Gaza because it had benefitted from international forces since 1999.<\/p>\n

Emini said Kosovo has long desired to contribute to peace and security, but its lack of UN membership narrows its options.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoining a US-led international initiative offers Kosovo something it has been seeking for years: international visibility and an opportunity to demonstrate that it can contribute to international security,\u201d she said. \u201cThere is also a degree of reciprocity here.\u201d<\/p>\n

She cautioned against a simple comparison with Gaza, where the political and security environment is fundamentally different.<\/p>\n

Muhaxhiri expects a symbolic payoff.<\/p>\n

\u201cA significant military role is not a realistic expectation,\u201d he said. Still, participation in high-profile initiatives can help consolidate Kosovo\u2019s state identity, build relationships and advance its wider international integration, he added.<\/p>\n

An unresolved contradiction<\/h2>\n

Kosovo\u2019s national story rests on international protection for civilians exposed to state violence and on self-determination.<\/p>\n

Israel\u2019s genocidal war on Gaza, launched after the Hamas-led attacks of October 7, 2023, has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians. Israel faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice; the International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.<\/p>\n

For Emini, Pristina has not resolved the tension between its language on Serbia and its position on Gaza.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe question in Pristina has been less about whether the two positions can be reconciled in purely legal terms, and more about where the United States stands, what Kosovo\u2019s strategic interests are \u2013 and what alliances Kosovo can build,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n


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Kosovo, a small majority-Muslim country in the Balkans, has signed up to United States President Donald Trump\u2019s controversial Board of Peace and the planned International Stabilization Force\u00a0for Gaza, after Israel gave its approval. The proposed force is, in theory, expected to help maintain security, support demilitarisation and train Palestinian police, though its mandate and composition…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4391,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_2277560469115098_106292521332774":"","twitter_aToxNzczMzI3Njk4OTg4ODUxMjAxOw==_1773327698988851200":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4390","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-international-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t