Israeli crisis to have repercussions in the Balkans - has Western patience run out?

The West wants a quick solution to the Kosovo issue, expert says.

Similarly to the war in Ukraine, the conflict in Israel is likely to have a major impact on the Balkan states and the settlement of relations between them. In a situation like this, where the West's focus is primarily on the Middle East, it is not yet clear what impact the Israeli war will have on other crisis areas, such as Kosovo. What is certain, however, is that a diplomatic blitz is taking place in the Balkans this weekend. 

Diplomats, referred to in the Serbian press as the "big five", will arrive in the Serbian and Kosovo capitals on Saturday. The presence of the Italian, German, French, American and EU representatives on the scene foreshadows another attempt by the West to revive the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, with the aim of normalizing relations between the two parties.

It also shows that the EU and the US are very interested in easing tensions in northern Kosovo after the tragic events in Banjska and finally making progress in the negotiations between Belgrade and Pristina. 

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According to an article in the Serbian  B92 news portal, high-ranking officials from key Western countries not only want the situation to stabilize, but also want Pristina to organize municipal elections in the north of the country as soon as possible and to ensure ethnic Serbian participation, as well as to begin implementation of the Brussels Agreement on the establishment of the Association/Community of Serbian Municipalities in Kososvo.

Diplomat Zoran Milivojevic told Blic, Serbia is concerned about what is happening in Israel and in current events in the world. He added that if the situation in the Middle East escalates according to the principle of concentric circles, it could also affect Kosovo. On the other hand, the current Israeli conflict shows that frozen conflicts are extremely volatile.

The situation escalated in Kosovo, especially after the events in Banjska. Meanwhile, the maximalist attitude still prevails in Pristina. All of this is a big warning,

the diplomat stated.

That is why it is also in the interest of the West, especially in light of the Israeli war, for the Kosovo crisis to be resolved as soon as possible, said Milivojevics.

The expert went on to stress that Western powers do not want to leave the Kosovo issue open, and are pressuring the parties to return to dialogue. 

In contrast to Milivojevic, Dragoljub Raseta, a researcher at the New Third Way, believes that the Israeli war is neither slowing down nor speeding up progress on the Kosovo issue.

Both the US and the EU each have their own Western Balkans special envoys, who are working to formally resolve the Kosovo issue and to persuade Belgrade and Pristina to normalize relations ahead of next year's elections,

Raseta told Blic.

Cover photo: Clampdown in Kosovo following the events in Banjska (Source: Facebook/Kosovo police)